Christina Haack, It’s OK To Take a Break From TV

Christina Haack, It’s OK To Take a Break From TV


From Flip or Flop, Christina on the Coast, Christina in the Country, and now The Flip Off, it’s safe to say that Christina Haackboasts an impressive reality TV resume. Haack has lived a deeply publicized life since she starred alongside her then-husband, Tarek El Moussa, in Flip or Flop. Following an incident that proved to take a toll on their marriage, the duo officially divorced in January 2018. The mother of three has since been married twice, first to former Wheeler Dealers co-host Ant Anstead, whom she divorced in June 2021. She then wed realtor Joshua Hall in October 2021. Haack is currently undergoing a highly publicized and messy divorce from her third husband, Hall, with rumor mills and gossip columns having a field trip with the airing of her dirty laundry.




The HGTV star has also been open about her health struggles over the years. Although her personal life may have been in shambles more than once, Haack has had a stellar professional career in front of the camera. But it poses a question: Is it finally time for Christina Haack to take a break? Well, three highly publicized divorces and health battles are good enough reasons to take a much-needed breather to retrospect and enjoy time with her three children. She has also been coming under fire for putting her kids in a difficult position with the messy entanglements of her personal life.


Christina Haack Made Her Reality TV Debut Alongside Tarek El Moussa


Christina Haack started her reality career by starring in the HGTV show Flip or Flop alongside her then-husband, Tarek El Moussa. The duo met in 2005 while working as real estate agents at Prudential in California. After nearly three years of dating, they tied the knot on April 17, 2009, and welcomed their daughter, Taylor Reese, on September 22, 2010. After two unsuccessful in vitro fertilization attempts — including one miscarriage — Haack got pregnant with the couple’s second child, Brayden James, who was born on August 20, 2015. In 2008, the US housing market faced a major crisis, which was when El Moussa dabbled with the idea of flipping houses. According to Business Insider, after one experimental stint of flipping a house, El Moussa grew addicted to the idea and pitched a TV show around it by putting together a short video and sending it to several networks. After a whole year, HGTV sparked interest and shot the pilot episode with El Moussa as the real estate broker and Haack as the designer. Flip or Flop season 1 first debuted in 2013 and was privy to rave reviews from viewers as it ran for ten seasons, thrusting both Haack and El Moussa into the limelight.


As reported by TMZ, an incident in May 2016 where local officials responded to a call of a “possibly suicidal male with a gun” shook the foundation of El Moussa and Haack’s marriage. El Moussa believed that the whole thing was blown out of proportion and justified that he carried the gun as a form of self-defense against animals while on a hike. The reality TV duo announced in a statement to US Weekly that they have decided to separate while reevaluating the future of their marriage. El Moussa filed for divorce in January 2017, and their divorce was finalized in January the following year. Haack previously told PEOPLE that getting separated was a healthier choice for them. The duo continued to star in Flip or Flop together, produced another show, Chi-Town Flip, and are set to star alongside El Moussa’s current wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, in HGTV’s The Flip Off. Despite a few hiccups here and there, the duo have tried to maintain an amicable relationship while co-parenting their children.


‘Christina on the Coast’ Opportunity and Marriage to Ant Anstead

After her divorce from El Moussa, Haack sold her Yorba Linda, California, mansion, where she’d lived for five years, and moved to Newport Beach with her kids. She was offered her own design series, Christina on the Coast, by HGTV. The first episode, released on May 23, 2019, featured how she renovated her new home, and the subsequent episodes followed her helping other homeowners flip their homes. Haack started dating Ant Anstead toward the end of 2017 before her divorce from El Moussa was finalized. Anstead was even a regular face on Christina on the Coast. After a highly publicized courting period, the duo wed on December 22, 2018. The following year, Haack gave birth to their son Hudson London, on September 6, 2019, and his arrival was even documented, on Christina on the Coast.


Unfortunately, after less than two years of marriage, the couple announced their separation on September 18, 2020, in an Instagram post. Their divorce was finalized in June 2021, and they were granted joint legal and physical custody of their son. Things took an ugly turn when Anstead filed for full custody of Hudson London in April 2022. According to the court order, Anstead had alleged that Haack hadn’t spent sufficient time with their son in the past 20 months and revealed how he was the “primary parent.” He also claimed that Haack had featured their child in paid advertisements and wasn’t a fan of thrusting him into the public limelight. The request was denied on April 28, 2022, and the former couple still share joint custody. Haack had opened up about her feelings during the whole fiasco to PEOPLE, stating that despite having had her ups and downs, she was a good mother.


Relationship With Joshua Hall and New Reality TV Endeavors

n March 2021, before her divorce from Anstead was finalized, Christina Haack started dating realtor Joshua Hall. As per custom, the duo had a highly publicized relationship, and Haack even faced backlash from fans. The couple tied the knot in a private ceremony on October 6, 2021, as exclusively reported by TMZ, and hosted a second wedding ceremony on the island of Maui in September 2022. Hall had provided Haack immense support while fighting the custody battle against Anstead. As reported by PEOPLE on March 28, 2022, Christina Haack and Joshua Hall started their own production company, Unbroken Productions. The duo co-produced Christina on the Coast Season 4 and even promoted a spin-off show, Christina in the Country, in November 2022. The first episode, which aired on January 12, 2023, featured Hall’s sister, Stacie Adams, and her husband, Joel Adams. On May 15, 2024, The Flip Off was announced, featuring exes Haack and El Moussa alongside their respective spouses on the official HGTV Instagram page.


Exactly two months after the announcement, on July 15, 2024, Hall and Haack both filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind it. A messy legal battle ensued where Hall had reportedly requested rights to any HGTV and Discovery Network shows or specials he and Haack developed, produced, or contracted with during their marriage. The duo also didn’t have a prenup, which further complicated matters. Later in the month, Christina Haack also accused Hall of transferring $35,000 of her rental income into his personal account. There was also the prevalence of raging social media activity where the exes made cheap jabs at each other. As per PEOPLE, multiple sources claim that The Flip-Off will continue filming without Hall. The former couple’s divorce has not been finalized yet.

Health Issues and Personal Life Turmoil Warrant a Timeout

Image via HGTV


Apart from messy relationship turmoil, Haack also faced significant health complications over the years. In 2022, Christina Haack underwent a scan after experiencing a variety of ailments, including Hashimoto’s disease, Raynaud’s syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, unexplained skin rashes, joint and muscle pain, dry eyes, acid reflux, and brain fog — which eventually revealed that she was suffering from mercury and lead poisoning. In December 2022, she shared in an Instagram story that this was likely due to “all the gross houses I’ve been in (the bad flips).” She had also believed at the time that it could be breast implant-related. In February 2023, she had to get EBO2 treatment, which filters and treats the body’s blood.


After jumping from one relationship to another, mixing her personal and professional life, and subsequently undergoing deeply publicized divorce battles, Christina Haack has had quite the journey. While wearing different masks and juggling dynamics despite the complications is definitely commendable, sometimes the wiser thing to do is take a break. Given the fact that she has been open about her mental health journey — including smoking Bufo toad — the renovation queen of reality TV needs to take a chill pill from televising her life for a much-needed retrospective timeout. Haack can always make a comeback to reality TV after her hiatus. Still, after over a decade of relentlessly living under the scrutiny of the public eye, it’s bound to take a toll on one’s mental well-being, and taking a step back can be the need of the hour, especially for the sake of her children and the sanctity of her domestic life.

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