Christina Anstead and Tarek El Moussa: Why did ‘Flip Or Flop' stars split? A look at their marriage and divorce

The couple remain cordial, seeing that they are co-parenting their two children and hosting the show that started it all for them
Christina Anstead and Tarek El Moussa (Getty Images)
Christina Anstead and Tarek El Moussa (Getty Images)

Being married for 10 years is by no means an easy feat. So when Tarek and Christina El Moussa made their way to HGTV with ' Flip Or Flop', the then-married couple seemed like they had the perfect chemistry.

Christina met Tarek right out of college when they both happened to get in the real estate biz. Around that time, Tarek was already in a relationship. However, it wasn't long before he began seeing Christina and the couple officially started dating in 2006. Prior to the show, the two ran a real-estate agency, known as Tarek and Christina: The El Moussa Group, along with their partner Pete De Best.

The trio began investing in Arizona and Nevada as their business expanded and was rather successful, until the 2008 market crash. The couple fell upon hard times, shifting from a $6,000 per month apartment to a $700 per month apartment within the span of a few years. The couple went on to get married in 2009 and had their daughter in 2010.


Their lives were soon about to change rather drastically. In 2011, Tarek had a friend film him flipping a house from start to end. They sent it in to HGTV and upon reviewing their Instagram profiles, the network instantly saw the couple's potential.

After being signed on in 2012, the first episode of 'Flip Or Flop' aired in 2013. While 2013 saw the launch of 'Flip Or Flop', it was also the year Tarek was diagnosed with cancer. This time really put their marriage to the test, while Tarek was sick, the couple was also trying desperately to have a second child. Christina ended up having a miscarriage in 2014.

While she was going through vitro fertilization, Tarek was getting treated for cancer. But the two held on, fighting the odds and situations that would have torn most couples apart.


Tarek defeated cancer and the couple had their second child in 2015, but there seemed like there was no happy end in sight for the two. It was around this time that the couple hired Gary Anderson to work on the pool. Tarek was quick to assume that something was going on between the two — a misunderstanding over the same led him to leave the house with a gun, causing the police to get involved.

Although the situation was cleared later, the damage was clearly done at this point. This incident seemed like the tipping point for the two, with them splitting up in 2016. Things were made official, with Tarek filling for divorce shortly after in 2017 due to irreconcilable differences.



 


Their divorce left a lot of fans wondering about the fate of the show, but seems like there's no reason to worry since the two are all geared up for Season 10. The two remain cordial, seeing that they are co-parenting their two children and hosting the show that started it all for them.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

‘Chicago Fire’ star Taylor Kinney shares the date for the franchise’s next crossover, which will bring all three NBC dramas together
2026-11-12T08:52:55.000Z
James Reynolds reveals his Parkinson’s diagnosis and explains why ‘Days of Our Lives’ is bringing it into Abe Carver’s storyline
2026-11-12T08:23:38.000Z
Charlie Vickers and his ‘The Rings of Power’ co-stars hint at Sauron’s next move and the Season 3 moments that left even the cast struggling for words
2026-11-12T07:50:09.000Z
Nearly three decades after their 1997 horror film, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ryan Phillippe are sharing the screen again, this time in the ‘9-1-1’ franchise
2026-11-12T06:55:17.000Z
The Hulu spinoff follows nine MomTok creators in California, with Jen Affleck as the lone original star
2026-11-12T05:10:11.000Z
FX’s comedy series ‘Adults’ follows five friends sharing a home in Queens as they navigate adulthood
2026-11-12T04:36:21.000Z
‘Chicago Fire’ Season 15 Episode 6 introduces Violet’s estranged mother, whose unexpected return comes with devastating news
2026-11-12T04:24:26.000Z
A leadership change at DC Studios left the status of the Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre series in question
2026-11-12T04:05:49.000Z
'Chicago Med' Season 12 Episode 6, titled 'Lessons in Chemistry,' sees Freddy return to sign Margaret's estate papers alongside Charles
2026-11-12T03:18:28.000Z
Netflix’s ‘The Body’ explores teenage identity, friendship and repression, with its creators drawing inspiration from their own school years.
2026-11-12T03:00:28.000Z