A source revealed to People that, though they just officially announced their separation, Tarek and Christina El Moussa have apparently been living apart for months. Allegedly, they are also seeing other people. The source claims that the couple hasn't lived under the same roof since May. So, for at least six months, the pair has kept news of their separation secret.
This story was originally published on December 12, 12:05 p.m.
Tarek and Christina El Moussa, of HGTV's Flip or Flop, have decided to separate, People reports. The pair have been married for seven years. The real estate agents explained that an incident six months ago prompted the split.
“Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage,” the El Moussas said in a joint statement. “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."
Details of the altercation are not entirely clear, but TMZ reports that upon arriving at the scene, the police found Tarek with a firearm.
During their seven years of marriage, the El Moussas weathered cancer and a devastating miscarriage. In 2013, Tarek was diagnosed with thyroid cancer — by a fan of the show. A Flip or Flop viewer emailed the show's producers after noticing an abnormality on Tarek's throat. (Subsequently, Tarek and Christina took a year off from the series while he recovered.)
The couple has also been open about their struggles to conceive. Christina underwent several rounds of in vitro fertilization — at one point, she miscarried after eight weeks. The El Moussas currently have two healthy children, daughter Taylor and son Brayden James.
As for the future of the show, Flip or Flop may still be in business. The pair plans to continue their professional relationship, despite the dissolution of their personal one.
"We will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together," their statement concludes.
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