How HGTV's Egypt Sherrod Nearly Ruined Her Romance With Mike Jackson
Egypt Sherrod and Mike Jackson of "Married to Real Estate" have a swoon-worthy, complex love story, with the HGTV hosts celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary in 2023. Over the years, they've juggled their busy, collaborative careers while also raising three kids together. While their shared success is definitely aspirational, they've faced romantic obstacles just like any other couple.
In fact, early on in their relationship, their connection was nearly sabotaged by baggage from Sherrod's previous relationships. "I was mentally fighting and sparring and thinking I had to protect myself," Sherrod revealed on the "Girl Stop Playin'" podcast. "[Jackson] was there [and] he never gave me a reason to think otherwise...it was all internal. It was all from my past, you know."
The two may be thriving nowadays and unafraid to get personal on their HGTV show, but this relationship history was something that Sherrod needed to work through for the duo to make things work together. As she added, "We got to let that baggage go so we can be fully here in the present and enjoy and allow ourselves to be loved."
Sherrod had to do some hard work to work through her baggage
Egypt Sherrod now recognizes that her previous relationships affected her connection with Mike Jackson, but it wasn't something she initially realized. "He called me out on my mess and told me, 'You are taking it out on me — everything from every other guy that did you wrong and you're gonna run Mr. Right off,'" Sherrod said on an episode of "Black Love," per XONecole.
After this wake-up call, Sherrod realized things would have to change if she was going to make her relationship work, something that she has since been able to reflect on. However, she did more than that — she actually sought professional help to work through some of the issues she was carrying into her new relationship so that she could move on in a healthier way. "Before we can prepare ourselves for the right man to enter our lives, we have to get our minds right, let go of our baggage," the interior designer said. "[Even if that means] going to therapy, and purging some things."
Sherrod was ultimately able to deal with her personal history, which in turn improved her relationship with Jackson. While this baggage nearly sabotaged the couple's relationship, it wasn't the only time that they needed to face the past head-on.
She wasn't the only one with a past
Egypt Sherrod was unconsciously influenced by the wrongs she faced in previous relationships, but Mike Jackson also brought his own set of baggage to their budding romance. When talking about their decision to postpone their wedding, the real estate broker revealed that they needed to deal with some issues before tying the knot, including Jackson's relationship with the mother of his child and ex-wife.
"It affected our relationship in a big way," Sherrod explained in a clip from "Black Love." "He had to learn how to deal with her on terms where she wasn't dictating when and how and why he would behave, when he could see and when he could talk to their daughter." In order to do so, Jackson and his former wife went to court to establish a custody agreement, which was a big relief for the HGTV couple.
Sherrod and Jackson ended up marrying in September 2010 at a New Jersey country club. Though they postponed their first wedding, the couple's relationship was stronger for the time they dedicated to their cementing bond and working through baggage. "I knew that I was marrying the right man," Sherrod said. "And I knew it was the right time."