Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa at an event

To say that having your own series on HGTV — like Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa exercise — is life-changing would be a massive understatement. After all, think of all the fame and fortune that's come up to Bit and Joanna Gaines of "Fixer Upper," or Jonathan and Drew Scott from "Property Brothers." However, while having a show on HGTV tin can truly brand your career, it can also thrust yous so far into the spotlight yous get a little lost. Such was seemingly the case with Haack, who previously went by the proper name Christina Anstead, and El Moussa, the once happily-married couple who landed a evidence on HGTV, simply to have their personal lives fall apart years later.

Haack and El Moussa started on their HGTV series "Flip or Bomb" while all the same happily married, but information technology didn't have long for their wedlock to stammer and stop in divorce. Only what exactly acquired the rift? Well, nosotros finally know why Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa got divorced, and it's a lot more complicated than you might accept thought.

It all started with a wellness scare for Tarek El Moussa

Tarek El Moussa wearing a blue shirt and suit

Correct when Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa were at the acme of their HGTV fame in 2013, things took a turn for the worse. A viewer who was watching "Flip or Flop" happened to be a nurse and discovered a lump on El Moussa'south neck. Unfortunately, El Moussa was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2013 (via People). And while cancer is never piece of cake for anyone, with how busy El Moussa and Haack were with their testify, it only put more stress on them as a couple.

While fans saw El Moussa'southward thyroid cancer struggle play out on "Flip or Bomb," they didn't come across what he kept secret until 2017, when he revealed he'd been diagnosed with testicular cancer before long thereafter. Plain, this merely made things more stressful for El Moussa and Haack. "I wasn't healthy for years," El Moussa told Land Living. "I had my cancer, and I was filming. Then my 2nd cancer and I was filming. And then I injure my back and I was filming, and then I had surgery and I was filming." Cancer didn't ruin their wedlock, but it couldn't take been easy to deal with as a couple.

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa tried spousal relationship counseling

For Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack, their decorated schedule and all of El Moussa's health concerns certainly brought them plenty of stress. At showtime, they tried to piece of work through all their issues past attending therapy together.

For whatsoever couple, however, finding time to be together tin be hard, especially when you add in kids, health bug, and a high-pressure chore. And so information technology was for Haack and El Moussa, which is partly what led to their divorce.

In an interview with People, El Moussa explained that he and Haack only didn't make time for each other. "We were so decorated, we never slowed down to be present with each other and talk nigh things that were bothering us," he revealed. Then, they went to therapy. And while it'south unclear what exactly Haack and El Moussa discussed in therapy, it'south obvious that the 2 needed to talk about their wedlock. However, after hashing things out there, the pair realized they needed to dissever.

Tarek El Moussa had some hormonal imbalances

As if cancer and cancer treatments weren't enough of a stressor on Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa'due south marriage, at that place was even more going on with El Moussa's wellness at the time. As he explained on the "Dr. Drew Podcast," he suffered from some hormonal imbalances, which made his human relationship with his and so-wife even more complicated.

Specifically, El Moussa explained that his hormones were off, though it wasn't from the cancer. "I thought it was from my testicular cancer and so I went to this Botox doctor and hormone clinic that my ex said to become bank check out. Side by side affair I know I'm…taking steroids, it was testosterone," he said, via People. "I was on way likewise much testosterone, on top of that taking human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injections every 24-hour interval because I was told to." That sounds similar a lot.

Obviously dealing with hormonal issues can be hard, equally they can impact so much else in your life. And for El Moussa and Haack, it likely didn't help the country of their union.

Christina Haack suffered a tragic miscarriage

While Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa were busy filming episode after episode of "Flip or Flop," and El Moussa was dealing with cancer treatments, they as well had something else to consider: more children. While the couple already had a daughter, Taylor, they had to determine if they wanted more than kids, and chop-chop.

Specifically, because of El Moussa'southward condition, they had to make some quick decisions. "They said that if you go through radiation, which Tarek had too, then you lot should non go pregnant from that sperm from six months to a yr. And then, right abroad, nosotros did sperm cyberbanking and [tried] IVF," Haack told People.

Unfortunately, the couple had two failed IVF attempts, with ane that ended in a tragic miscarriage at viii weeks. And then, when Haack got pregnant again, she had to go on strict bed balance. Obviously, all the stress of a miscarriage and IVF can be a lot on whatever couple, only with El Moussa's other wellness issues looming overhead, it merely fabricated things even tenser between the two.

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa argued a lot

Every marriage has its ups and downs, only for Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa, the downs seemingly never stopped. Betwixt health concerns, work stress, and raising their children, the couple really never had fourth dimension to just be together, and plainly, when they were together, they were mostly fighting.

In an interview with Good Housekeeping shortly after their divorce, Haack revealed that she and El Moussa were basically constantly arguing. "Nosotros were bickering about things [on-set], and nosotros went abode together," she shared. So obviously, some of the stress from work would probably come dwelling with them, which isn't good for anyone. However, after they separated, Haack and El Moussa realized that they were better coworkers than spouses. "We met at work, and we actually probably get along best at work," she continued.

Arguing, and even fighting, is totally normal in a marriage, simply for Haack and El Moussa it was too normal, and the pair would have rather worked together than lived together, it seems.

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa were nearly too close

To know anything virtually Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa'due south marriage is to know that they weren't always every bit fortunate as they appeared to be on "Flip or Flop." Yep, they were one time pretty broke, and so when Haack and El Moussa did take the opportunity to purchase fine things together, they did. Nonetheless, that didn't end everything else — including working together, living together, and parenting together — from having an touch on their spousal relationship. As it turns out, their sharing absolutely everything might non have been for the best.

In an interview with People, Haack explained that she and El Moussa might have been a little as well close before they separated. "Tarek and I were so tied together on everything: real manor, the show, our children, our business firm," she revealed. "It was then stressful, and everyone was worried that it was going to explode." And whether or not you thought it "exploded," it'due south clear that El Moussa and Haack shared quite a lot together, and that couldn't have been easy while they were working things out.

Christina Haack didn't like how the public compared her to Tarek El Moussa

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa plainly know what it's like to alive their life in the public eye, but all of the opinions viewers of "Flip or Flop" had can obviously get to them. And they definitely did, peculiarly for Haack, who got seriously annoyed at how the public compared her to El Moussa.

Shortly after Haack and El Moussa's divorce was made public, an anonymous source revealed to People that the pair didn't belong together in a somewhat cruel mode. "In a lot of ways they just seemed wildly incompatible," the insider said. "She has champagne tastes, and he's a beer-from-a-can kind of guy."

And with that comparison, Haack got frustrated. "We definitely have the same taste every bit far every bit wanting nice things because we piece of work difficult, and then if y'all're going to say it, at least say 'both of them.' Don't but characterization me," she declared in an interview with Good Housekeeping. Haack was understandably annoyed that the public perceived her every bit more than materialistic than El Moussa, and that wasn't fair to her.

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa had fiscal bug

Though Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa certainly made a lot of money flipping houses on television for HGTV'due south "Flip or Flop," that didn't mean everything was all peachy with their upkeep. Considering despite all the finer things the two owned, they actually had some problems managing their money, it seems.

During an appearance on "The Dr. Drew Podcast," El Moussa explained that office of the reason backside his divorce from Haack was that they had some struggles people didn't know near, including struggles with coin. "There's so much going on with TV, and the notoriety, and the finances, and so many different things happening at once, and information technology slowly pulled united states of america apart," El Moussa said on the podcast, according to House Beautiful.

While Haack and El Moussa truly appeared to have information technology all, they struggled with money more than anyone idea, and as whatsoever couple knows, fights involving money can sometimes be the worst fights of all.

Christina Haack'southward parents wanted her to stay with Tarek El Moussa

When you get married, you aren't just marrying one person, you're also marrying their unabridged family, for amend or for worse. And equally it turns out, Christina Haack's parents might have played some small function in her divorce from Tarek El Moussa. Well, in a way that is.

As Haack explained in an interview with Proficient Housekeeping, it was actually hard for her to come make clean to her parents about her problems with El Moussa, in part because her parents wanted them to stay together. "Tarek was talking to them more than I was at first, and that fabricated information technology a little difficult because they were just hearing his side," she explained. "They were hoping we would be able to reconcile, especially for the kids, and also considering Tarek and I had built such a life together."

However, Haack added that she had to come to terms with the fact that her parents, and anyone else, didn't have a say in her human relationship with El Moussa. All the same, the pressure from her parents couldn't have made things easy.

Things reportedly never got violent between Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa

Obviously, things between Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa got very stressful towards the end of their wedlock. With all that the pair had been through, things were spring to explode at some bespeak, though that explosion wasn't quite equally dramatic as the public previously assumed. Specifically, there was an alleged incident in 2017 during which the law were called to the couple'southward abode; El Moussa was reportedly found with a gun and thought to be suicidal, co-ordinate to The Orangish County Register.

Notwithstanding, El Moussa soon cleared the air during an appearance on "Today," when he explained that the gun had zippo to practise with anything violent. "There'southward mountain lions and bobcats and rattlesnakes and, like, big wildlife back at that place," El Moussa stated. "I went out for a hike to scout some trails. It wasn't fifty-fifty a big deal. I didn't understand. Information technology got really blown out of proportion." Though Haack and El Moussa had more than their fair share of problems, violence wasn't one of them.

If yous or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ ane-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa kept their separate private for a while

For a couple who spent so long living their life on television set and social media, Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa certainly plant a manner to keep their separation individual. Yes, fifty-fifty some of the people closest to them were surprised to larn that the two were no longer together, though that might accept been for the best.

In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Haack explained that she'd preferred to keep her bug on the downwards low for a long while. "I wasn't very vocal with them most some of the issues that Tarek and I were having, so all of the sudden it'due south like bam – I've moved out, I'm living at my nanny'southward house," she revealed. "It came equally a shock to 99.9 percent of people, including my parents."

For whatsoever reason, Haack and El Moussa chose to proceed their divide a underground at kickoff, and they did what they had to do.

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa were globe-trotting long before the split

Though a lot tin be said of all the issues Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa had to face towards the cease of their wedlock, in that location were a few other things that acquired their divorce. Every bit information technology turns out, they were globe-trotting apart from each other long before their split, and without strong communication, any relationship is kind of doomed.

In an interview with People, Haack said that things between her and El Moussa had just gotten to a indicate where they were barely speaking. "I was overwhelmed," she explained. "The tension between me and Tarek was high. We weren't able to properly communicate anymore. It got to the indicate where we weren't even driving to fix together."

Obviously it can't be piece of cake to work on a marriage when you barely talk to each other, and that'southward seemingly a problem that Haack and El Moussa faced during their human relationship.

All the publicity made things worse for Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa made information technology clear that they struggled equally their matrimony dissolved. But to top all that stress off, the pair too had to deal with the public knowing the inner workings of their relationship, and with a ton of rumors that weren't fifty-fifty remotely truthful. "Permit's just be honest, it was awful," El Moussa said on "The Dr. Drew Podcast" (via Country Living). "I mean there was more PR almost our divorce than any divorce I think I've always seen. I mean it was wild, on every single magazine, on every news outlet, information technology was but beyond me."

El Moussa wasn't lonely in that sentiment. "When our matrimony fell apart it was more public than we could have imagined," Haack explained. A ton of publicity can't be bang-up on a marriage, and it likely made things worse for Haack and El Moussa.

Tarek El Moussa was reportedly the one who filed for divorce from Christina Haack

Afterwards everything that culminated between Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa, it's not exactly shocking that the two ended up divorced. For likewise as they might work together in a professional setting, information technology's clear that they had to do what was best for them, and that meant divorcing. And in the end, it was El Moussa who filed for divorce.

Co-ordinate to People, El Moussa's lawyer revealed that he was the one to file; People as well reported that El Moussa was seeking spousal support from Haack. Additionally, once the split was announced, Haack and El Moussa released a joint statement explaining that their children were their priority. "During the process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be," the statement read. "We volition go on to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to keep our professional life together."

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa's kids are happier with them divorced

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa did get divorced in a highly publicized manner, only they handled it all with grace. And more so, so did their girl.

Haack and El Moussa'south oldest child, daughter Taylor, was obviously impacted by her parents' divorce. But as it turns out, she'south handled information technology amend than anyone could imagine. In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Haack explained how she and El Moussa had been taking Taylor to see a therapist most the divorce and information technology was Taylor herself who said it was no longer necessary. "Ane day, as I was driving her to an appointment, she said, 'I don't need to go to therapy anymore. I think you and Daddy are happier apart, and I don't really need to talk about it anymore,'" Haack shared. "She's very open up and honest with her feelings, but still I was like, 'Wow, that's a big comment for a half-dozen year former.'" Information technology was large, but also telling. If their girl likes them better autonomously, then they truly must be happier that style.

Was cheating a cistron in Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa's divorce?

Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa talking on set

Because Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa lived a very public life together, it'south only natural that people would assume things about their marriage and, after, their divorce. Additionally, the fact that Haack remarried so presently after their divorce was finalized acquired many to wonder if adulterous was a gene in their breakup.

But as information technology turns out, information technology wasn't at all. In fact, as Distractify reported, the pair released a statement to the reverse. "Neither of united states was involved in a romantic relationship with any third party prior to our separation or believes the other was," the statement read. And then in example you were wondering, neither Haack nor El Moussa cheated on the other while they were married and it isn't why they got divorced. Really, the reasons for their divorce were probably a lot more mundane than that, only like with many couples who decide to divorce.

Christina Haack may have only been led downward a different path

Christina Haack taking a selfie

Christina Haack was able to find dearest again subsequently her divorce from Tarek El Moussa. However, she and her second husband ultimately divorced after less than two years of marriage. Subsequently her divorce from Ant Anstead was announced, Haack took to social media to explicate where her head was at the time. "I alive in a country of anxiousness and I'm and then used to it that when it's not there I tend to feel a void and hop into something that causes the feeling I'grand used to," she explained on Instagram, adding that it has its ups and downs. "Sometimes anxiety and pursuit of new dreams leads me down amazing paths, other times it leaves me feeling lost and in a land of fight or flight / or crying in my closet," she continued.

Clearly, Haack felt that she was existence led down a different path when she divorced her 2d husband, and it's possible that she felt the aforementioned way after splitting from El Moussa, making any potential unsettled feelings or yearnings to do something new with her life possible factors in her outset divorce.