The Truth About Christina Hall And Tarek El Moussa's Relationship
If it wasn't for HGTV, we would never have met Christina Hall and Tarek El Moussa. The then-couple broke into the world of real estate TV thanks to their hit series "Flip or Flop." Audiences quickly fell in love with the two of them, and their personal lives became as exciting as the spiffy home renos. It wasn't meant to last, though, and Hall and El Moussa ended up divorcing after welcoming two children.
Fans of the show had no need to worry about the state of "Flip or Flop." The couple continued to work together after they split, but it wasn't always easy. They continued to co-parent their children and shared with fans the various experiences of raising kids in blended families.
They both found new relationships, too. Hall married Ant Anstead and they welcomed a son, Hudson London. However, they split up, with some critics noting that there may have been warning signs from the start. Hall found love again with Joshua Hall, and the duo will be featured in her new HGTV show, "Christina in the Country." El Moussa made a match with realtor and "Selling Sunset" star Heather Rae Young, both of whom will work together on the network's "The Flipping El Moussas." While Hall and El Moussa have moved on, they have an interesting origin story as a couple, combined with amazing business acumen that's made them staples of HGTV and the home improvement world.
Christina and Tarek met through real estate
It's obvious that Christina Hall and Tarek El Moussa were destined for real estate, not only for their long-term careers, but also for the inception of their relationship. In an HGTV clip, El Moussa explained that "Flip or Flop" was such a success because they were a success as a couple. "We're able to work together because we're best friends," he said. "We love what we do. We love each other." Hall added, "We met at a real estate office, so we started our relationship working together." She added that El Moussa constantly impressed her by how hard he was willing to work. "It's just insane," she said.
It was obviously a perfect combination of the passionate and the professional. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Hall said that she and El Moussa worked in real estate at Prudential when she was 22 and he was 24. The firm's manager proposed that Hall learn from El Moussa and use him as a mentor in the business. This didn't mean that things were romantic from the get-go. El Moussa was dating someone else when they met, and it took 14 months for him and Christina Hall to finally get together. "The day Tarek and I officially started dating, which was October 9, 2006, we moved in together," she said. It paved the way not only for a relationship and a future family, but also a major real estate hustle that would become a huge feature in the world of real estate shows.
Christina and Tarek's fertility journey
Christina Hall and Tarek El Moussa married in 2009 and faced a challenging experience in becoming parents. That same year, Hall was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that creates complications with fertility. The couple didn't face any struggles conceiving their first child, daughter Taylor El Moussa, but they did struggle to have their second child. In 2014, Hall suffered a miscarriage.
To make matters even more complicated, El Moussa was diagnosed with cancer at that time (more on that later) and had back surgery, so he and Hall had an uphill battle when it came to conceiving. "We found out Tarek had cancer, and we asked the doctor if that would affect our chances of having a child," Hall told People in April 2015. "They said that if you go through radiation, which Tarek had too, then you should not get pregnant from that sperm from six months to a year. So, right away, we did sperm banking and [tried] IVF."
By the third IVF attempt, Hall was pregnant, but it was like walking on eggshells. "I had to do one full week in bed," she recalled. "For 13 weeks after that, I couldn't go for a walk and couldn't lift anything over a gallon of milk." Since El Moussa was recovering and Hall was being hyper-cautious, they said they couldn't even lift daughter Taylor during that period. But it paid off, and their son, Brayden, was born in 2015.
Tarek's cancer diagnosis
Of all the amazing things, it was a fan of "Flip or Flop" who first notified Tarek El Moussa that he might be facing a health crisis. "It was the beginning of Season 2 of 'Flip or Flop,'" El Moussa said in a clip of "Chasing the Cure." "I'm shooting my show. I'm returning emails and text messages. I'm busy with work. And then I get the email from the nurse out of Texas." The nurse told him that it looked like he had a nodule on his thyroid and should get it looked at.
Sure enough, it was Stage-III thyroid cancer, and in that same year, 2013, he was also diagnosed with testicular cancer. It was a harrowing journey, but in March 2019, El Moussa jumped on Instagram to announce that he was cancer-free. "This makes me so happy not for me but for my babies," he wrote, adding a heart emoji. "I have to be healthy and alive for them!!"
His children were certainly a motivational force in the experience. He told People's "Reality Check" in 2020 that his kids keep him on a healthy track. "I've never eaten so clean, I've never taken so many vitamins, I've never gotten so much exercise," he said. "So I'm just taking care of my health. I want to live. I want to live for my kids. I want to live for my grandkids. You only get one life. You only have one body."
They had achieved all of their dreams by 31
In terms of their careers, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall were moving full steam ahead when the 2008 housing market took a turn for the worse and forced them to change virtually everything about their living situation. They moved out of their roomy home located in the covetous region of California known as Anaheim Hills, according to Good Housekeeping. They then moved into a two-bedroom apartment priced at $1,700 a month and even got a roommate to offset the cost. Hall took a break from real estate, since there wasn't enough revenue in the field at the time, and sold uniforms for Cintas, an apparel company. El Moussa stayed in real estate and had to commute in his dad's truck.
But the couple proved their resilience by turning lemonade out of the lemons that were the real estate market. The crash, as Realtor notes, meant that homes were widely available after having been relinquished by homeowners who could no longer afford their mortgages. This equated to a ripe market for investors — exactly what El Moussa and Hall became — and their efforts paid off. Hall told Good Housekeeping that they had a dream board with a private jet, wedding rings, swimming pools, and luxury cars. "The weird part is, by the time I turned 31, we had all of it," Hall explained. The couple got everything they wanted and more, plus a TV deal that would make them not only richer, but also famous.
How Flip or Flop actually happened
Since Christina Hall and Tarek El Moussa met at a real estate office, it only made sense that their marriage and careers were intertwined. They worked so well together, as Hall often said, and they were certainly on the same page when it came to their success plan. The couple purchased their first investment property for $115,000 in Santa Ana, California, in collaboration with business partner Pete De Best, according to Realtor. They got to try out their flipping muscles for the first time and came out with a profit of $34,000.
Things took another serendipitous turn when they met an agent at a conference who tipped them off to an upcoming HGTV show called "House Flipper" that was scouting people, Good Housekeeping noted. They decided to film their next flilpping project, with Hall 7 months pregnant. For her part, Hall was skeptical that it would work. "I just remember driving to an auction and thinking there's just no way this is really going to happen," she said. "Then, all of the sudden, HGTV wanted a pilot [later named 'Flip or Flop'], and the pilot got picked up and it was a series, overnight."
Despite her wariness, it worked out, and Hall looked back on the experience in a post on Instagram. "I got started in real estate at 21 which led to selling houses which led to flipping houses which led to Tv," she wrote. "Now while I never wanted to be on tv, stepping out of my comfort zone and into the unknown has always been my thing."
Drama about Flip or Flop
While Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall became the golden couple of HGTV, there was a darker side to flipping homes during the housing crisis to make a profit. Owners had to vacate their homes, and the optics of making money off of their losses struck some as unsavory. The success of the show hinged upon the fact that they were able to snag homes at a fraction of their previous price.
Since the couple knew the terrain, El Moussa and Hall were able to get a head start. As soon as they found listings that went up for auction, El Moussa drove around in the middle of the night to get a peek before anyone else could. "I'll buy any house, any condition (and) any location as long as I can get it at the right price," El Moussa told The Orange County Register. He often bought them sight unseen.
El Moussa wasn't kidding when he said he'd buy a home in any condition. One of the more challenging homes had been destroyed by the tenants about to be evicted. They filled the toilets with cement before they left the home and broke the windows, leaving El Moussa and Hall with a pretty intense project. The project, and the many others they took on, paid off in huge ways, though. El Moussa boasts an estimated net worth of $15 million, and Hall takes the lead with an estimated net worth of $25 million. We always love a gal who knows how to hustle!
How filming stress pulled them apart
Filming and raising a family proved challenging for Christina Hall and Tarek El Moussa. The couple endured the pain of physical health problems, and as their connection grew distant, they tried to mend their marriage by attending therapy (per People).
In 2016, the El Moussa home was a site of concern when a makeup artist witnessed Tarek retrieving a gun from a safe and putting it in his backpack. The makeup artist reportedly alerted Christina Hall, who called 911. El Moussa was classified as a "possibly suicidal male with a gun," according to Us Weekly. Reports from neighbors stated that they saw him run away from the home carrying the weapon. The incident surely shocked and puzzled "Flip or Flop" viewers. In a statement to People, the couple acknowledged, "...like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage." They clarified, "There was no violence and no charges were filed."
Tarek El Moussa gave Dr. Oz his side of the story and seemed to blame his ex-wife for the media attention. When asked about the 911 call, El Moussa said of Hall, "That was just a huge misunderstanding on her part, not my part." The real estate star said he went trail scouting and had his concealed carry permit, so he took the gun for protection. "I live in the canyons where there's wildlife and bobcats and mountain lions, and I literally went on a hike." El Moussa joked about his police encounter with a helicopter overhead.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Christina and Tarek kept working together after their divorce
Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall split in 2016. As People reported, it was El Moussa who filed for divorce, but Hall spoke about the positive side of parting ways, noting that it wasn't unexpected. "I think the separation process begins long before people actually separate," Hall said. "So by the time we officially did, I felt like a weight was lifted off me."
While they were no longer married, El Moussa and Hall felt that they couldn't walk away from their HGTV hit, so they continued to film "Flip or Flop" together. They kept things professional and were looking to the future. "Tarek and I don't discuss each other's personal lives," Hall told People. "It is what it is and we are going through a divorce and eventually we will be dating other people. I'm happy for him and whatever steps he takes in his life and I just hope he's happy."
Since they started their relationship in a work setting, it made sense for them to keep going. In fact, they seemed to do better when things were simplified and business-focused. "We met at work, and we actually probably get along best at work," Hall told Good Housekeeping. "He handles the business side, whereas I do better with the decorating side — we just have that dynamic together." Plus, the show was so successful that viewers would have been devastated had it ended prematurely.
Tarek addresses the big blow-up on set between him and Christina
While Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall were able to keep "Flip or Flop" going after their divorce, it didn't mean that there weren't a few rocky moments. In July 2021, TMZ reported that El Moussa got upset with how Hall motioned to him to alert him that the crew was ready to start filming.
El Moussa allegedly unleashed his wrath on Hall in front of the crew, claiming that he "made" her and using the phrase "washed-up loser" to describe her. He reportedly contrasted Hall to his fiance at the time, Heather Rae Young, and said the latter was more beautiful and more wealthy than Hall. (For the record, Young is worth $3 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, while Hall is worth an estimated $25 million.) El Moussa then allegedly said to Hall, "Look at me, look at me, look at me. It's called winning. ... The world knows you're crazy!" Yikes!
He spoke about the event later on E!'s "Daily Pop" with contrition. "Christina and I, we worked together, wow, for over 10 years now and we've been working together as exes for five years now," El Moussa said (via Page Six). "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." El Moussa said that they were both committed to avoiding any fights like that in the future.
Christina moves on with Ant Anstead
Between the two of them, Christina Hall was the first to move on with someone else. She and TV personality Ant Anstead announced their relationship in January 2018, according to People. The couple decided to surprise their guests with a secret wedding on December 22, 2018, held at their home in Newport Beach, California. They told their close friends and family that they were all going to meet there to go by bus to the Christmas Parade. Instead, guests were treated to a wedding on the front lawn.
In March 2019, Hall and Anstead announced that they were expecting their first child together, and on September 6, 2019, they welcomed son Hudson London. Despite this happy turn of events, Hall and Anstead announced that they were splitting up on September 18, 2020. "Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate," Hall wrote on Instagram (via People). "We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority."
Friends were surprised by their decision to divorce, and one insider told Life & Style, "No one saw this coming. I'm hearing that Christina and Ant just grew apart." Their divorce was finalized in June 2021 and shortly after, Anstead moved on with actor Renée Zellweger. Anstead and Hall have faced some custody issues over their son, a later publication by People reported, with Anstead filing for full custody in May 2022, claiming that Hall had spent between 7-9 days a month with their son. A judge denied Anstead's request and Hall said that his claim "deeply saddens" her.
Tarek moves on with Heather Rae Young
Tarek El Moussa found love with "Selling Sunset's" Heather Rae Young. They met in Newport Beach, California, on July 4, 2019 while both were boating separately with friends, according to Us Weekly. Things turned romantic and on August 9, 2019, El Moussa jumped on Instagram to announce that they were official. "it's official!!!! After more than 3 years on my own I'm so PROUD to say that this beautiful, sweet and talented young lady is my girlfriend!" he wrote. Clearly, El Moussa didn't see it coming. "I'll be honest and say I never thought I would meet someone special in my life after the last three years," he added.
El Moussa and Young got married on October 23, 2021, near Santa Barbara, California. "We're best friends, we're true soulmates, and our love is so rare and so special," Young told People. "It's the love I've always dreamed of my whole life." The duo got matching tattoos with their wedding date inked onto their arms and started talking about having a family. They discussed freezing embryos shortly after their wedding, according to Us Weekly, to bring one more kid to their brood of El Moussa's two children, whom he shares with Hall. "We're raising two kids. I'm already a mommy. So I'm like, 'Well, why not have just one more?'" Young said. El Moussa mentioned that when they first started dating, they didn't think they'd have a child, but after becoming a stepmom, Young suggested that it might be a dream for them.
Christina quietly marries Josh Hall
Christina Hall first met Josh Hall in 2021, and it was a deep and instant connection. "I met Josh when I wasn't in a state of fear or fight-or-flight," Hall wrote on Instagram on July 8, 2021. She added, "When we met this past spring, the synchronicities hit us so hard and fast they were impossible to ignore. I felt immediately crazy protective over him and wanted to keep him for myself and get to know each other before the tornado (media attention) hit." It wasn't long, of course, before the new couple became a topic of conversation online, the unfortunate inevitable state of dating as a famous person. But they continued to date and in September 2021, Hall shared the news on social media that they were engaged.
Unlike her very public wedding to Ant Anstead, Hall opted for a private wedding with Josh and, as Today confirmed, they married in April 2022. The couple geographically paired both of their homes into their new relationship. Josh hails from the South, so they have a home in Tennessee. They also established a residence in Dana Point, a city in Orange County, California, but ultimately returned to Newport Beach for convenience. "Near school and friends and work," Hall wrote on Instagram. "Our new home is our long term family home. Coming from a restless soul my soul is ready to rest." Sounds like Hall got the roots and stability she was looking for with Josh as a loving, stable step-dad to her three children.
Christina's relationship with Heather
Blending families can be tricky, so how do Christina Hall and Heather Rae Young get along? On the Season 5 "Selling Sunset" reunion, fans noticed a little bit of shade from Young directed at Hall. When host Tan France addressed the fight on HGTV's set between Tarek El Moussa and Hall, he asked Young, "Did he really call you a hotter, richer version of his ex-wife?" (via Insider). Young's response was, "Well, I mean..." Some of the other realtors, however, suggested that no one needed to tear down Hall in order to make Young feel validated.
When Young was asked by Us Weekly about co-parenting, she said, "I want the kids happy the most. We put everything aside and we focus on the kids. I stay out of their business, and ... we really focus on the kids' happiness and health at our house. We're not super involved with what happens over at [Hall's] house." In April 2020, Hall told the outlet that she and Young will communicate via text about the kids or share recipes. "We all get along," Hall said.
But it's not all easy. In May 2022, Us Weekly reported that Hall and Young got into a heated argument at a kids' soccer game. El Moussa pulled Young away, but later, he reportedly got into an argument with Josh Hall. Admittedly, it was a stressful time. Son Brayden was in the hospital that same weekend for an emergency appendectomy, but thankfully he was okay, and the parents seemed to resolve their issues to later show a strong front.
Tarek and Christina end Flip or Flop
All things come to an end, and Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall decided to end "Flip or Flop," making the announcement in March 2022, according to People. El Moussa opened up about his feelings on Instagram. "I can't believe this journey started in May 2010 with a home video and a dream of flipping houses on tv... it's crazy to think 12 years later it's coming to an end," he wrote. "I've spent almost a third of my life committed to this show." Hall also got nostalgic on social media. "I'm filled with gratitude to have done 10 seasons of a hit show," she wrote. "I remember filming the pilot and thinking, 'wouldn't this be crazy if.. this actually made it to network tv?' And here we are, a decade later."
Just because "Flip or Flop" ended doesn't mean that Hall and El Moussa are done with reality TV. Hall and her husband, Josh Hall, announced that they're starting a new show called "Christina in the Country," according to Today, featuring the Halls expanding their business across the country, especially Tennessee. "Now, Christina, who always lived an active, outdoor lifestyle in Southern California, will create even more life-long memories with her three children and husband Josh Hall in Tennessee," the HGTV release read. Meanwhile, El Moussa and Heather Rae Young announced their reality show "The Flipping El Moussas" in June 2022. While a marriage might not last, a solid business plan and reality TV success make for a pretty decent payoff.