Talk about a roller-coaster! Christina Hall (née Haack) and Tarek El Moussa‘s ups and downs started well before they called it quits in 2016.
The reality stars tied the knot in May 2009, four years before their HGTV series catapulted them into the spotlight. Things took a turn when El Moussa was diagnosed with two forms of cancer in 2013 after a Flip or Flop viewer — who happened to be a registered nurse — brought a concern to producers’ attention.
“No joke, I thought I was going to die,” El Moussa exclusively told Us Weekly several years after his health scare. “I was like, ‘Two cancers?’ … [But Christina] helped me out a lot. She made sure I took all my meds and she had to make certain meals for me.”
Through it all, the licensed real estate agent wanted to put on a brave face. “I literally filmed ’til the day I went into my surgery, and within two weeks after, I was back on camera,” he told Us. “It was definitely difficult to do, but it definitely pushed my mental strength to the limits. … I just kept moving forward.”
While the pair continued to get along on camera, it was seemingly a different story behind closed doors. In May 2016, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was called the duo’s home after an altercation, with 11 deputies responding to a “possibly suicidal male with a gun.” At the time, authorities told Us that El Moussa “had no intention of hurting himself” and cooperated when asked to give up possession of his firearms. By the end of the year, the twosome called it quits.
“Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage,” they noted in a statement to Us in December 2016. “We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed. We chose to get counseling to sort out our relationship. Together, we have decided to separate while we reevaluate the future of our marriage.”
Despite their split, the duo vowed to remain “committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be,” the statement said. Hall and El Moussa share daughter Taylor and son Brayden.
The former spouses have continued to work together since their divorce was finalized in 2018 and have always done their best to communicate cordially when it comes to coparenting. In September 2020, a source told Us that the TV personalities were in a “great, peaceful and friendly place” and were “happier than ever” while raising their kids.
“The kids are great and life is good,” El Moussa noted the same month, shortly before Hall confirmed she had split from second husband Ant Anstead after nearly two years of marriage.
While El Moussa married Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young) in 2021, Christina moved on from Anstead, with whom she shares son Hudson, with Joshua Hall. After a whirlwind romance, Us confirmed in April 2022 that the twosome secretly wed, with the HGTV star changing her name once again.
Scroll down for a closer look at Christina and Tarek’s ups and downs — from health scares to filming feuds:
Credit: Vince Flores/Startraks
Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: Police Calls, Health Scares, Filming Feuds and More
Talk about a roller-coaster! Christina Hall (née Haack) and Tarek El Moussa‘s ups and downs started well before they called it quits in 2016.
The reality stars tied the knot in May 2009, four years before their HGTV series catapulted them into the spotlight. Things took a turn when El Moussa was diagnosed with two forms of cancer in 2013 after a Flip or Flop viewer — who happened to be a registered nurse — brought a concern to producers’ attention.
“No joke, I thought I was going to die,” El Moussa exclusively told Us Weekly several years after his health scare. “I was like, ‘Two cancers?’ … [But Christina] helped me out a lot. She made sure I took all my meds and she had to make certain meals for me.”
Through it all, the licensed real estate agent wanted to put on a brave face. “I literally filmed ’til the day I went into my surgery, and within two weeks after, I was back on camera,” he told Us. “It was definitely difficult to do, but it definitely pushed my mental strength to the limits. … I just kept moving forward.”
While the pair continued to get along on camera, it was seemingly a different story behind closed doors. In May 2016, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was called the duo’s home after an altercation, with 11 deputies responding to a “possibly suicidal male with a gun.” At the time, authorities told Us that El Moussa “had no intention of hurting himself” and cooperated when asked to give up possession of his firearms. By the end of the year, the twosome called it quits.
“Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage,” they noted in a statement to Us in December 2016. “We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed. We chose to get counseling to sort out our relationship. Together, we have decided to separate while we reevaluate the future of our marriage.”
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Despite their split, the duo vowed to remain “committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be,” the statement said. Hall and El Moussa share daughter Taylor and son Brayden.
The former spouses have continued to work together since their divorce was finalized in 2018 and have always done their best to communicate cordially when it comes to coparenting. In September 2020, a source told Us that the TV personalities were in a “great, peaceful and friendly place” and were “happier than ever” while raising their kids.
“The kids are great and life is good,” El Moussa noted the same month, shortly before Hall confirmed she had split from second husband Ant Anstead after nearly two years of marriage.
While El Moussa married Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young) in 2021, Christina moved on from Anstead, with whom she shares son Hudson, with Joshua Hall. After a whirlwind romance, Us confirmed in April 2022 that the twosome secretly wed, with the HGTV star changing her name once again.
Scroll down for a closer look at Christina and Tarek’s ups and downs — from health scares to filming feuds:
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Credit: Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com
They Do!
The duo exchanged vows in May 2009 and welcomed their daughter, Taylor, the following year. Son Brayden was born in 2015.
Credit: INSTARimages.com
‘Flip or Flop’ Is a Hit
In April 2013, the pair’s house-flipping reality series premiered on HGTV — and fans couldn’t get enough. It has since inspired a handful of spinoffs, including Christina On the Coast, which began in May 2019.
Credit: NBC
Cancer Diagnosis
An HGTV viewer, who happened to be a nurse, contacted Flip or Flop’s production team after noticing a lump in El Moussa’s neck. In 2013, he was diagnosed with both thyroid and testicular cancer, prompting the couple to try IVF to have their second child while he got ready for radiation treatment.
Credit: Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com
‘Horrifying’ Health Scares
Haack was put on bed rest after two failed IVF attempts, and at the same time, El Moussa was prescribed “large amounts of pain meds” during his cancer treatment. He later recalled on the “Dr. Drew” podcast, “I lost 60 pounds, I was on Vicodin every day. On top of that, my hormones are off, I’m on pain meds and narcotics, and I’m filming and working. It was a really rough three, four years. … It was a horrifying experience.”
Credit: HGTV
Police Incident
In May 2016, authorities were called to the real estate experts’ California home, responding to a tip that there was a “possibly suicidal male with a gun” on the property. An eyewitness told police at the tine that Haack was “crying and shaking,” while El Moussa told the deputies that he “he had no intention of hurting himself.” He agreed to “voluntarily relinquish all of his firearms” after the incident.
That December, the duo announced their split, telling Us in a statement, “We chose to get counseling to sort out our relationship. Together, we have decided to separate while we reevaluate the future of our marriage.”
Credit: Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Divorce
El Moussa filed for divorce in early 2017, and Us confirmed that the proceedings were made final one year later.
Credit: Vince Flores/Startraks
Still Coworkers
“There’s a lot of false stories and a lot of hype, but in the end, we’re just normal, nice people who just want to be the best parents and coworkers that we can be,” Haack told Good Morning America, confirming Flip or Flop would carry on despite the divorce. “Tarek and I are friends and we have a lot of support from our family.”
Before season 8 premiered in August 2019, the California native explained that she and her ex-husband keep things strictly professional while filming. “Tarek and I don’t discuss each other’s personal lives,” she told GMA. “It is what it is.”
Credit: Shutterstick (3)
Christina Moves On
Amid her split from El Moussa, Haack began dating Anstead and the pair tied the knot in December 2018. One year later, they welcomed son Hudson. A source told Us at the time, “Tarek is happy for Christina and he’s moved on.”
In September 2020, Haack and Anstead announced they were going their separate ways, finalizing their divorce in June 2021. El Moussa, for his part, proposed to Young in July 2020.
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Cancer Free
Six years after his diagnosis, the Tarek’s Flip Side host revealed via Instagram in March 2019, “I’m cancer free and I’m healthier than ever!!!! This makes me so happy not for me but for my babies ❤️. I have to be healthy and alive for them!! … They are my everything and they need their daddy! This news is so good because I’m alive to be here for THEM!!”
Credit: Courtesy of Tarek El Moussa/Instagram
Coparenting Pros
Though their marriage didn’t work out, the costars continued to be a strong coparenting team. “Things are going better than they’ve been in a long time,” El Moussa exclusively told Us in January 2021. “That’s great for us. You feel it on the set. The onscreen chemistry shows and I think this season’s episodes are some of the best we’ve ever done. Who would have thought 10 years later the show is getting better?”
Haack, for her part, previously told Us that putting the kids first was crucial. “We all just are in it for the kids and whatever’s best for them, so that’s just how we make it work,” she said in April 2020.
Credit: Courtesy of Christina Haack/Instagram
Flip or Feud?
In July 2021, multiple outlets reported that the former couple got into a verbal tiff while filming Flip or Flop, with El Moussa allegedly shouting at Haack and calling her a “washed-up loser.” Days later, Haack documented a “nice day” on set, seemingly throwing shade at the Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa star.
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Calling Truce
“Christina and I, we worked together, wow, for over 10 years now and we’ve been working together as exes for five years now,” the realtor explained on E!’s Daily Pop in September 2021. “As you can imagine, it can be stressful working with an ex and we did have an incident where some choice words were said on both sides and I’m sure we both wish the whole thing never happened. … The whole thing just sucked for everyone involved.”
El Moussa noted that he would “certainly” take back the argument if he could.
“I mean, honestly, since we got into that little disagreement a few months back, I’ve just decided that moving forward, never again,” he added at the time.
Credit: Shutterstock(3)
Well Wishes
El Moussa weighed in on whether his ex-wife was possibly engaged after she sparked rumors after being pictured wearing a ring on her left hand.
“If a ring is on a girl’s finger and it looks like an engagement ring and she’s with her man, what does that mean?” he exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2021. “I’m not a mind reader, [but] I’m just saying, they’re good together. I hope the best for them.”
After Haack confirmed her engagement to Joshua Hall, an insider shared with Us that El Moussa and Anstead found out “from her social media post,” adding, “They’re both happy for her and wish her the best.”
Credit: TLC
End of an Era
In March 2022, the duo announced that Flip or Flop would end for good with the season 10 finale. “Bittersweet news to announce, it’s the end of an era,” Haack wrote via Instagram at the time. “Next week’s episode of Flip or Flop will be the SERIES finale. I’m filled with gratitude to have done 10 seasons of a hit show. I remember filming the pilot and thinking, ‘wouldn’t this be crazy if is this actually made it to network tv?’ And here we are, a decade later. … It’s been a wild ride to say the least!!”
El Moussa, for his part, thanked fans for “following along” for the previous decade. “You guys have been with us through it all—you watched me beat cancer, you’ve watched the babies grow up into the most amazing little humans, and everything in between,” he wrote via Instagram. “But I’m not going anywhere and I can promise that you are going to love what comes next!”
Credit: HGTV
Final Flip or Flop
El Moussa thanked his ex-wife while celebrating the end of their HGTV show in March 2022, gushing via Instagram: “I think we did a pretty good job and I’m excited for what the future holds for both us and wish her nothing but the best!”
Credit: Mediapunch/Shutterstock; David Buchan/Shutterstock
Fight on the Field
Photos surfaced of a series of seemingly tense moments between the two couples at a children’s soccer game. In one photo, Tarek is seen pulling Heather away from Christina, while in another series of snaps, the Flipping 101 star is seemingly separated from Joshua.
“A personal matter was discussed and has since been resolved. We are focused on coparenting as a team moving forward,” the Christina on the Coast star’s rep told Us in a statement on May 10.
Credit: Shutterstock (2)
Expanding the Family
After Tarek and Heather announced in July 2022 that they were expecting their first child together, a source exclusively told Us that Christina was “happy for” the couple. “She knew about the pregnancy and is letting them have their moment,” the insider added, noting that “there haven’t been any issues since the soccer game spat” months prior.
Credit: HGTV/YouTube
A Heartfelt ‘Congratulations
Tarek and Heather congratulated Christina on the “next chapter” of her life — the January 2023 premiere of her new HGTV show, Christina on the Coast — in a joint Instagram post, which showed trailers for both her series and their own show, The Flipping El Moussa, in December 2022.