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Christina and Tarek El Moussa are finally opening up on how their marriage fell apart.
Christina’s divorce from “Flip or Flop” co-star Tarek was, she says, the result of too much, too soon and a lack of communication. Doing the media rounds, she told People the stress of their relationship kept piling up. “Like any couple, we had our share of issues,” she admitted. “But we went through a lot in a short amount of time.”
The reality television couple officially split in May 2016 after an alarming incident with a gun, but their marital problems started long before then. Christina and Tarek were still adjusting to life in the limelight when Tarek was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2013. While he was in treatment, Christina struggled to get pregnant through in vitro fertilization and ultimately suffered a miscarriage in 2014.
Eventually, they welcomed their now one-year-old son Brayden, but the pressures of work meant Christina was back in the thick of it only four weeks after giving birth. Soon enough, the pressures of their lives caused tears at the seams of their relationship. “It was too soon for me” she explained. “I was overwhelmed. The tension between me and Tarek was high.”
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“We weren’t able to properly communicate anymore,” she said. “It got to the point where we weren’t even driving to set together.” Once their separation was finally announced in December, and the divorce was filed in early January, Christina felt a sense of relief. “I think the separation process begins long before people actually separate,” she added. “So by the time we officially did, I felt like a weight was lifted off me.”
And though it may be a little weird for the two to keep working together, it is a reality Christina and Tarek will have to overcome. “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.”
On Tuesday morning, Tarek El Moussa sat down with the “Today” show to share his feelings on the split and reveal exactly what happened with the aforementioned gun incident. The two officially separated after seven years of marriage, following an incident on May 23, which saw police called to the El Moussa home over reports that Tarek was armed and “possibly suicidal.”
The “Flip or Flop” co-host insisted he was never suicidal and said he only took the gun for protection from wildlife while hiking at Chino Hills State Park Main Ridge Trail in California. “There [are] mountain lions, bobcats and rattlesnakes and big wildlife back there… I went out for a hike to scout some trails, it wasn’t even a big deal. I didn’t understand,” he said of the incident. “It got really blown out of proportion.”
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When asked if he was at all suicidal, Tarek doubled down and said, “Never. Never. Absolutely never.” He and his estranged wife continue to remain on good terms and Tarek said their first priority is their two children — son Brayden and 6-year-old daughter Taylor — “The number one goal is to co-parent our children,” he said. “We have to make sure we remain friendly because we have to make sure they have good parents.”
Christina doubled up on media duties, also sitting down with ABC’s “Good Morning America” for an exclusive interview. The 33-year-old reality star told the television show, “There [are] a lot of false stories, a lot of hype, but in the end we’re just normal, nice people who just want to be the best parents and coworkers we can be.”
HGTV, the network that airs “Flip or Flop”, also addressed the divorce in a statement obtained ABC News: “We admire and appreciate Tarek and Christina’s great work on ‘Flip or Flop.’ When it comes to matters related to their own family, we respect their privacy and honour any decision that works best for them and their children. HGTV is currently airing episodes of ‘Flip or Flop’ and the series will continue production as scheduled.”
The two real estate agents wed in 2009; their popular reality show debuted in 2013.