Who is Tarek El Moussa?
The real estate investor and TV personality Tarek El Moussa, is best-known for being co-host on “Flip or Flop” alongside his ex-wife Christina Hall. The pair, who previously worked together selling real estate, turned to flipping houses when their line of work and business suffered during the economic crisis of 2008.
Tarek obtained his real estate license in 2002, when 21 years old. When he and his longtime girlfriend Christina Haack were forced to leave their luxurious home for a decidedly humbler apartment after six years in the industry, they turned their focus to a new strategy, and began flipping houses. When Tarek submitted an audition tape to HGTV documenting the process of the first home they flipped, the show was picked up by the network, and has nowbeen running for over ten seasons.
The handsome TV personality is of mixed-race, with a Lebanese Catholic father and Belgian mother. He matriculated from Sunny Hills High School in 2000, and married Christina in May 2009; before entering into business together, the couple worked in the same real estate office, and soon embarked on a relationship. Tarek and Christina welcomed a daughter and son in September 2010 and August 2015 respectively, but agreed to keep them out of the spotlight as much as possible.
Tragedy struck in 2013 with Tarek’s cancer diagnosis, when a “Flip or Flop” viewer contacted the show’s producers after noticing a strange lump on the co-host’s throat. Thanks to the viewer’s eagle eye, Tarek was able to receive the adequate treatment, and has been in remission since 2014.
Tarek and Christina’s divorce in 2018 marked the end of an era, and devastated thousands of fans. Since then, both parties have given their side of their story, with Tarek saying during an appearance on a popular podcast: “There’s so much going on with TV, and the notoriety, and the finances, and so many different things happening at one time, it slowly pulled us apart.”
Christina also confessed to People magazine that there was a lot of tension between herself and Tarek, adding: “We weren’t able to properly communicate anymore. It got to the point where we weren’t even driving to set together.”
Christina’s parents wanted her to stay with Tarek, and it took them a while to make the decision public after they split, but the relationship was on its way out well before they officially divorced. Despite the couple trying counselling, it was unsuccessful, and Tarek filed for divorce a few months later, citing irreconcilable differences.
Fans of “Flip or Flop” imagined that the show would run its course after Tarek and Christina split, but the pair have put their less-than private differences aside, and are still working together. Despite the occasional awkward moment, the pair are the perfect example of professionalism, and are only focused on getting the job done, as well as co-parenting their children in a healthy way.
In 2019, Tarek began dating the real estate agent and actress Heather Rae Young, making the relationship Instagram official in August of the same year. The couple tied the knot in Montecito’s Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel in October 2021, the wedding was documented in the Discovery+ special “Tarek and Heather: The Big I Do”. Heather’s pregnancy was announced in July 2022, and she is expected to give birth to a boy in early 2023.
Heather took to social media in December 2019 to deny claims that she was trying to look like Christina, despite the physical resemblance between the two blondes. During an Instagram Q&A session, an anonymous follower brought the sensitive topic up, to which the real estate agent replied: “How would I be ‘trying to look like someone? Last time I checked I’ve looked like this my whole life.” She also mentioned that she and Christina get along well, dispelling any rumors of bad blood between them.
Although Christina wasted little time in settling down after her divorce from Tarek, he was more cautious. After going on a few dates with Heather, he began mentioning her to his children, and showing photos and videos of the duo together to put them at ease. Luckily, Tarek and Christina’s children immediately took a liking to Heather when they finally met.
In 2020, Tarek launched his second HGTV show, “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa”.
Christina Haack
Christina Haack was born in Anaheim, California USA in July 1983, and grew up alongside her sister Carly, but who is a decade younger. After matriculating from high school and graduating from San Diego State University, she immediately began working in the real estate industry, where she would meet her future husband and business partner Tarek.
For a time, the famous former couple sold real estate in the southern California area, and ran the Tarek and Christina: The El Moussa Group agency together. The stock market crash of October 2008 forced them to rethink their business strategy, and in 2010 they bought their first investment property with a business partner, and sold it for $34,000 profit. After successfully flipping houses for a while, the trio’s real-estate investing business expanded into Nevada and Arizona.
In 2018, the El Moussa Group was dissolved, and is currently owned by Tarek and Associates. In June of the same year, it was announced that Christina would receive her own spin-off show, “Christina on the Coast”. The first episode saw her renovate the new abode she purchased following the divorce, then in the next seven episodes she renovated other people’s homes. Season two of the show premiered in January 2020.
Christina is no one-trick pony, and has also released her own book, “The Wellness Remodel”, which she co-wrote with the certified nutritionist Cara Clark. In July 2020, she created a line for Spectra Furniture named Christina HOME, which became available for purchase a few months later. In November 2021, she created The Christina Collection, a luxury vinyl flooring line with over 20 styles and colors. “Good Housekeeping” and the “Orange County Register” are just some of the publications the TV host and her work have been featured in.
As mentioned, Tarek’s 2013 thyroid and testicular cancer diagnosis came as a shock for the couple. Doctors recommended radiation treatment, and Tarek and Christina decided to try for a second child via in-vitro fertilization, having banked Tarek’s sperm. After a failed attempt and a tragic miscarriage, Christina became pregnant in 2015.
Quiet as it was kept, the couple separated in May 2016, after which police found Tarek on a nearby hiking trail with a handgun. Tarek has since said that he was never suicidal, but had taken the gun to protect himself from wild animals he might encounter on the hike. Insiders claim that Tarek had stormed off with the handgun after catching his then-wife sending explicit messages to Gary Anderson, a contractor whom the couple previously employed.
Christina was in a state of emotional distress when she called the cops, and begged them to save Tarek as he was possibly suicidal. The plot thickens, as it turns out that Gary was in the house that day, and witnessed Tarek running out of the back door.
Tarek filed for divorce a year later, which was finalized in January 2018. Christina had already begun dating Ant Anstead, an English TV presenter known for his work on “Wheeler Dealers”. The couple married in late December 2018 at their Newport Beach, California home, and she officially took Ant’s surname. Just under nine months later, Ant and Christina welcomed their only child together.
Ant and Christina’s separation was announced in September 2020, which surprised many, despite the whirlwind nature of their relationship and marriage. An insider who spoke to Life&Style magazine said: “They’re very different people from totally different backgrounds, and that definitely played a factor. Friends say Ant was the first to start having feelings about splitting.”
For a time, the ex-couple remained on good terms after Christina filed for divorce in November 2020, and reverted to her maiden name. The “Flip or Flop” star had announced the news via Instagram, uploading a photo of the former couple walking together on the beach in happier times, and thanking her fans for their support, while asking them for privacy.
Andy Vermaut shares:Christina Haack Secretly Married: ‘Flip Or Flop’ Star Weds Joshua Hall After Less Than 1 Year Together: Two-time divorcee Christina Haack is giving marriage a third… https://t.co/8AsL89a3mP Thank you. #AndyVermautLovesHollywood #ThankYouForTheEntertainment pic.twitter.com/JYk1DdfGYn
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) April 5, 2022
The divorce was finalized in June 2021, but Ant filed for full custody of their son in April 2022, claiming that Christina had put the youngster at medical risk. The news took the reality TV circuit by storm, given that until that point, Ant and Christina seemed to be peacefully co-parenting. Once again, Christina poured her heart out on Instagram, saying: “I have had my share of ups and downs, but I am a good mom, and I love my children with all my heart, and I will always protect them.”
According to court documents obtained by news outlets, Ant claimed that Christina returned their son to him in January 2022 without disclosing the child’s COVID-19 diagnosis. At the time, Ant’s partner Renée Zellweger was filming a new project, which was paused due to her also testing positive for COVID, after being in contact with the youngster. Ant also questioned Christina’s ability to parent their son, and cited her past use of the hallucinogenic Bufo Alvarius toad venom, which Christina had mentioned smoking in July 2021 to help cope with anxiety.
As the custody battle heated up, Christina decided that she would no longer feature her and Ant’s son on social media or TV, until he was old enough to make the decision for himself, perhaps to avoid providing her ex-husband’s legal team with any ammunition. Tarek supported Christina throughout this difficult period; it was later revealed that they had spent Mother’s Day in the emergency room after a health scare involving their son Brayden. Tarek later praised Christina for how she had handled the medical emergency, which fans found interesting, given the timing of Ant’s accusations.
In July 2021, just one month after divorcing from Ant, Christina began dating realtor Joshua Hall. The couple became engaged three months later, and married in April 2022, the same month in which Ant publicly lambasted his ex-wife and filed for full custody of their son. Joshua and Christina’s second wedding ceremony took place in Hawaii in September 2022.
“Flip or Flop” Controversy
Back in 2017, the state of Tarek and Christina’s failing relationship was all that “Flip or Flop” fans could talk about, and the occasional tension between the co-hosts remains a hot topic of conversation years later.
In July 2021, Tarek found himself out of favor with the internet when it was reported that he’d verbally attacked Christina while filming for “Flip or Flop”. An insider sensationally claimed that Tarek had compared Christina to Heather, saying the latter was “hotter and richer”. If the insider is to be believed, Tarek also called his ex-wife a “washed-up loser” and said that everyone knew she was “crazy”.
The feud allegedly stemmed after Christina admitted online to having smoked toad venom, which led to Tarek fearing for the safety of their two children. Ironically, Ant cited the very same social media post when filing for full custody of his and Christina’s son.
A few days after the news broke, a separate source came forwards to confirm that the verbal altercation had taken place, adding that Tarek felt “remorseful”. The source brought even more juicy information, claiming that Tarek told his ex-wife: “Look at me, look at me, look at me. It’s called winning,” and said that he had “made” her.
In the past, Tarek has also been accused of having a fling with Alyssa Logan while she was working as a nanny for the couple, and sources have come forwards over the years to claim that the TV host would often berate Christina on set, and humiliate her in front of the crew and producers. Whatever the case, Tarek and Christina never publicly spoke on the matter, and it seems that they overcame the latest argument pretty quickly, and put their differences aside, possibly for the sake of their children.
Probably, most of the above series of supposed recriminations needs to be taken with a sizeable grain of salt!
