Inside Christina Hall's 3 Divorces

When it comes to television, it's tough to describe Christina Hall's HGTV success as anything other than meteoric. After all, her first series, "Flip or Flop," became one of the network's biggest hits, running for 10 seasons until ending its run in 2022. An unlikely TV star, Hall proved she was no one-trick pony when her follow-up series, "Christina on the Coast," also became a smash for HGTV.

Her first marriage to her "Flip or Flop" co-star, Tarek El Moussa, ended in divorce. She then tied the knot with British television host Ant Anstead, but that union also ended in ruins. Sadly, the third time was not the charm, when Hall and third husband Joshua Hall announced in the summer of 2024 that they were divorcing, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason.

Interestingly, just days before news of the divorce from Joshua was announced, Christina gushed about how well her life had been going. "It's been really good," she told E! News. "I just love where I live, I love my family and I love doing these shows. So, I feel like everything's going really well." It seems that what's on the surface isn't necessarily the full picture, so we're breaking down what we know about these three relationships and subsequent divorces.

Christina Haack began dating future husband Tarek El Moussa back in 2006 after meeting through working as real estate agents at the same firm, tying the knot three years later. After the 2008 financial crisis, the couple began cashing in on their skills at renovating rundown houses that they sold at a profit. Their house-flipping efforts brought them financial success and captured the attention of television producers when El Moussa sent a demo tape to Pie Town Productions, which produces several series for HGTV. Seeing the star potential in them, the couple was then tapped to star in their own show titled "Flip or Flop."

Premiering in 2013, ratings for "Flip or Flop" were through the roof, leading Christina El Moussa (as she was then known) and her husband to become HGTV's hottest new stars. Becoming an overnight celebrity isn't something a person can prepare for, though. While the show's popularity grew, so too did the pressure on their marriage, widening cracks that had already started to form. "Like any couple we had our share of issues," she admitted about her marriage to Tarek in a 2017 interview with People. "But we went through a lot in a short amount of time."

Following the birth of their daughter, Taylor, in 2010, Christina and Tarek El Moussa encountered infertility issues while trying to have a second child. In the midst of that, while also running their increasingly hectic business and shooting their HGTV hit "Flip or Flop," Tarek was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. While he was treated with radiation, Christina struggled to keep it together. "I had never even known anyone with cancer, so it was a very scary time," she admitted to People.

At the same time, she was undergoing IVF treatment, which resulted in a 2014 pregnancy that sadly ended in a miscarriage. In 2015, they welcomed their son, Brayden. Their busy schedules, however, demanded that Christina return to work just four weeks after giving birth. "It was too soon for me," she said. "I was overwhelmed. The tension between me and Tarek was high." As she recalled, communication between them had hit rock-bottom. "We weren't able to properly communicate anymore," she told the magazine. "It got to the point where we weren't even driving to set together."

As their relationship deteriorated, the popularity of "Flip or Flop" continued to grow. Fans of the show had no idea that HGTV's burgeoning new stars were on the cusp of a dramatic breakup — although they soon would.

The tensions that had been building up within the marriage of Christina and Tarek El Moussa came to a head in May 2016, in a police incident involving a gun. Several months later, the couple announced their separation. "Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage," the exes said in a joint statement to People. "We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed."

Tarek offered more insight into the incident in his 2024 book, "Flip Your Life: How to Find Opportunity in Distress — in Real Estate, Business and Life." As he wrote, he and Christina had a bitter argument when he decided he needed to clear his head by going for a hike. He brought a handgun with him — not because he was contemplating taking his own life, but in case he encountered any dangerous wildlife. He didn't realize Christina had called 911 until he was taken into custody by police and placed in handcuffs.

"For the next several hours, I sat on a cooler on my driveway, handcuffed," he wrote, via an excerpt appearing in People. "That was the very last time we were together as a family: with Christina walking down the driveway, crying, and me sitting there in handcuffs, asking myself, 'What in the world is going on?'"

Soon after announcing that he and wife Christina had separated, Tarek El Moussa filed for divorce. In their joint statement, the two indicated that while their marriage may be over, their co-parenting and business partnership was not.

That became evident when Christina and Tarek continued to soldier on for HGTV, working together on new episodes of "Flip or Flop." "It's part of who we are and what we do, and for us to just throw it all away just wasn't worth it," Tarek explained while appearing on "Today." They did, however, admit that co-starring with an ex-spouse wasn't always easy, and that tensions arose while filming. When "Today" host Natalie Morales asked whether they wanted to kill each other sometimes, Christina offered a joking (but honest) response. "Yeah, of course," she said, with Tarek adding, "The question is, are there days when I don't want to kill her?"

Years later, Christina admitted that their relationship at the time was far thornier than they had let on in that 2018 interview. "There were hard, tense days, but it wasn't a reality show based on a marriage; it was still about the houses, so that made it easier," she told Us Weekly (via Deadline). "We had to show up, do our jobs and then went home and didn't have to talk to each other."

After splitting up with Tarek El Moussa, Christina El Moussa — as she was still going by — began dating businessman Doug Spedding. That relationship, however, didn't last long, with Christina calling it quits in October 2017 after being hit with a double whammy when she discovered he had cheated on her, and had also started using drugs again (he was arrested in 2011 for possession of methamphetamine). "Christina encouraged him to go back to rehab," a source told InTouch Weekly. "Christina is the type of person who sees the best side of others, and that's how she was with Doug ... She just wanted to help him."

In January 2018, Christina and Tarek's divorce was finalized. Around that same time, she revealed she was in a relationship with British television host Ant Anstead. They had reportedly been dating since the previous November, around the same time she ended things with Spedding.

Christina made their romance Instagram-official in a since-deleted post. She also shared another Instagram post (which had also been deleted, but immortalized by People) in which she gushed about making a fresh start in the love department. "And suddenly you know ... It's time to start something new and trust the magic of a new beginning," she wrote, adding, "New year, New beginnings!! 2018 is going to be a great year filled with new experiences, challenges and blessings. Excited for the next chapter."

The romance between Christina El Moussa and Ant Anstead took off like a rocket. After a whirlwind courtship, at the end of 2018, the pair tied the knot in a covert wedding ceremony they managed to keep under wraps. "We pulled off the perfect surprise wedding," she subsequently told People. "Seeing the happy tears of friends and family was priceless."

A few months after the wedding, Christina Anstead (she took his name after the wedding) shared a since-deleted Instagram post revealing that she and Anstead were expecting a baby together. "@ant_anstead and I are so excited to announce #babyanstead coming this September," she wrote, accompanying an image of her sonogram (via Us Weekly). "The kids are all so excited to meet their new sibling #5 #Gonnaneedabiggercar." She later confirmed that their baby was going to be a boy. Right on schedule, the couple's son arrived in September 2019. "Welcome to the world! Hudson London Anstead I am in awe! Mummy and baby are simply perfect!" he announced in a since-deleted Instagram post (via People).

Meanwhile, her ex-husband expressed his for this latest development. "Things are good today," Tarek El Moussa declared about his relationship with Christina in an interview with TMZ Live. "I'm excited for her new chapter in life. And they're a great couple and I really do hope the best for them."

Less than two years after the couple's nuptials, the relationship between Christine and Ant Anstead unraveled. In November 2020, she issued a social media post to reveal that they were splitting up. "Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate. We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority," she wrote (via People) in the post that was subsequently deleted. "We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future."

Ant later shared his own comments about the dissolution of the marriage, when he took to Instagram to lament that it was Christina, not him, who decided to call it quits. "Anyone who really knows me knows that I don't like to share private matters publicly," he wrote. "I have remained silent while holding on to hope. I never gave up on us. I pray Christina's decision brings her happiness."

Ant admitted he was devastated by his ex's abrupt decision to end their relationship. "It really hit me hard. The impact on me, my sleep, my diet, my stress, it showed," he told People of his state of mind after the breakup. He eventually moved on in spectacular style when he embarked on a relationship with movie star Renée Zellweger.

While her first marriage ended relatively amicably, with Christina Haack (as she began calling herself after her split from Ant Anstead) and ex-husband Tarek El Moussa co-parenting their children and continuing to co-star in "Flip or Flop," that was not the case with her second divorce. That became clear from the contentious legal battle that erupted over custody of their son, Hudson. That conflict took a messy turn when Anstead filed legal documents expressing his concerns about Hudson being exploited due to plans for him to appear in his ex's then-upcoming HGTV series, "Christina on the Coast."

"The risks for a child working on a television production set (even if that 'set' is Christina's home) are innumerable and well documented," he wrote in the documents, which were obtained by Us Weekly. "It is my goal to ensure that Hudson is allowed a childhood that is joyful, healthy, and natural, with as few stresses as possible, and this should be prioritized above creating commercial opportunity and content."

The divorce was finalized in 2021. In late 2022, People reported that the exes had settled their dispute, agreeing to joint custody of Hudson. A year later, Christina expressed feeling that their fight over custody shouldn't have taken place. "Last Mother's Day I was in a very bad place. Going through an extremely unnecessary custody battle," she wrote, in part, in an Instagram post.

In the midst of finalizing her divorce with ex Ant Anstead, a new man entered Christina Haack's life: realtor Joshua Hall. As an "insider" told Us Weekly, Haack and Hall first met a few years earlier while attending a real estate conference, while she was still married to Anstead. In the spring of 2021, the two wound up reconnecting, and sparks flew. That July, she took to Instagram to confirm she was in a new relationship with Hall.

"I met Josh when I wasn't in a state of fear or fight-or-flight," she wrote in the now-deleted post (via Us Weekly). However, she added that she was reluctant to go public with the relationship while it was still in its early stages, predicting the media frenzy that would ensue. "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," she explained. "We've had a few solid months of just us getting to know each other and I've loved every second of it."

In September 2021, the HGTV star announced that Hall had popped the question, and she said yes. The following January, she addressed online criticism that the relationship was moving too quickly when she wrote on Instagram (via People), "Too fast, too soon, too blah blah blah.. that feeling of pure bliss / those deep convos, love is what it is."

Christina and Joshua Hall tied the knot after being together for just over a year, with the couple sharing photos in September 2022 from the couple's destination wedding in Hawaii. "A week ago, I married the best friend I could ask for, just the way we wanted, our way and with some of the closest people to us," Josh wrote on Instagram as he paid tribute to his bride, thanking all the friends and family members who made the trip to Hawaii to celebrate their big day. "A week later, I can't help but feel grateful for all that made the trip out and made us feel the love," he added.

While the timing of their wedding struck many as moving quite fast — considering that she had gone through two very public divorces within a span of just a few years — it turned out that they had gotten married even earlier than they let on. According to court documents that were subsequently obtained by People, the pair had actually married in April 2022, but had kept it under wraps until September. 

In July 2024, Christina Hall spoke with E! News, sharing her hopes for the coming year. "I need things to be more peaceful and calm and just want to be more present and, overall, less chaos, less drama," she said. That cryptic cry for peace made a lot more sense when, just days later, TMZ reported that her husband, Josh Hall, had filed for divorce. Court documents indicated the date of their separation was July 8, 2024, days before E! News published its interview.

The announcement of their split was particularly inconvenient for HGTV, given that the exes had signed on to star in a new series called "The Flip Off." The premise was provocative, with the Halls facing off in a house-flipping battle against her ex-husband, Tarek El Moussa, and his second wife, Heather Rae El Moussa (née Heather Rae Young, of "Selling Sunset" fame). TMZ also reported that, in his divorce filing, Josh was seeking spousal support from Christina, and also asked that a judge grant him the rights to any television projects in which he appeared with his spouse. People subsequently confirmed from sources that HGTV was moving forward with the series — but without Josh.

Going through three divorces within less than a decade was clearly not something that Christina Hall had intended. In fact, a source told Life & Style that she and Joshua Hall had struggled mightily to rescue their relationship as it crumbled, but just couldn't fix what had become broken. "Christina and Joshua just weren't on the same page anymore," the source told the outlet. "She really tried to make this marriage work, but it wasn't happening."

While the nature of those efforts to save the relationship weren't made clear at the time, Christina was reportedly keenly aware of the optics of having yet another marriage implode under the harsh glare of the media spotlight. "The last thing she wanted was to be divorced for the third time," that source added. "That was never on her vision board." Those hopes that love would conquer all were apparently behind her decision to marry Joshua without a prenuptial agreement – a factor that could cost her some big money in the long run.