Relationship Expert Tells Us HGTV Star Erin Napier's Jealousy Is Part Of A Deeper Problem

Ben and Erin Napier, the lovable stars of the HGTV series "Home Town," have been happily married since 2008. However, their relationship notably hasn't been without its hiccups along the way. While Erin often gushes about her husband, some of her comments are also full of red flags. For instance, the HGTV star confessed to Us Weekly in March 2025 that she struggles with jealousy, revealing that there was at least once instance when she got upset because an attractive woman wanting to collaborate with the Napiers reached out to Ben via DM. While Erin knows that her husband would never break her trust, the designer's imagination sometimes gets the better of her. 

The List decided to run Erin's comments by a relationship expert, who confirmed that while jealousy is a perfectly natural human emotion, there comes a point where a bit of self-reflection may be necessary to address and, ideally, move on from it. According to behavior and relationship expert Patrick Wanis, PhD, the creator of SRTT Therapy (Subconscious Rapid Transformation Technique), with a focus on trauma, eating disorders and addiction, "You can trust your partner with your conscious mind based on his actions — and still feel jealousy in your heart or body." 

He clarified, "Jealousy is rarely about the other person — it's about what's unresolved within you. Jealousy springs forth from a source of insecurity and fear." With that in mind, Wanis also shared his advice for the reality star: "Focus on resolving the root cause of the jealousy and remind yourself that the most important aspect of your relationship is the connection between you and Ben, not the attention he gets from others."

To exemplify just how long the co-hosts of HGTV's "Home Town" have been together, take a quick look at videos from their wedding day, in which Ben and Erin Napier look totally unrecognizable. Not only that, but by all accounts, the adorable couple has been more or less attached at the hip ever since they first met. Ben and Erin hate being separated and they've made no secret of that fact, reiterating it publicly over the years. "We're never apart. We've formed our adult identities around each other. This is the only way we know how to be grownups," Erin proudly told Entertainment Tonight in 2023. 

Her husband added, "We totally get that not everybody functions that way, but we do, and it's the only way we can." However, Patrick Wanis, PhD, has some concerns about this too. In an exclusive interview with The List, he explained that while some couples function best when they're together every waking moment, this is exceedingly rare. "It might be working for them... for now! [But] for most couples, constant togetherness can slowly lead to emotional suffocation, burnout, and enmeshment," Wanis warned. 

The behavior and relationship expert elaborated, "Love thrives on connection, but it also needs space to breathe. When you're with your partner 24/7, you risk losing your individual identity. You stop growing independently." He also pointed out that couples like the Napiers shouldn't be afraid to give each other a bit of space every now and then either, appealing to the old adage of "absence makes the heart grow fonder."