Christina Haack Says Emotional Scene With Ex Was ‘Authentic’

The HGTV reality TV star broke down in tears on “The Flip Off” premiere episode, where she unleashed all her buried emotions on her former beau. The duo had an emotional heart-to-heart conversation following the end of the TV personality’s third marriage.

Christina Haack and her estranged husband, Josh Hall, ended their union in July 2024 when the latter filed for divorce. The episode marked the first time Christina would tell Tarek El Moussa about the split, and it had them reflecting on their infamous 2016 separation.

Christina recalled her vulnerable moment with Tarek in a new interview, revealing her emotional reaction to the end of her third marriage was not scripted. She noted showrunners asked her to tell her ex-husband about the split, but the way the conversation progressed was not planned.

The reality TV star claimed everything she had bottled up since her divorce from Tarek poured out without a filter when he visited her Newport Beach home.

“When [Tarek] came over, I had been dealing with this in real-time for a week or two, and so I was just emotional, hadn’t been sleeping,” she explained, adding:

“And so he walks in, and then I just, like, it all just came out. None of it was intentional, but I think it was definitely healing for both of us. And I think some closure for viewers that have watched us since our mid-twenties.”

Christina described the scene as a “real raw moment,” noting “it was very authentic and it wasn’t planned.” She told PEOPLE that she and Tarek needed to have that conversation, claiming they were “in a good place now” as no one understood what they had endured better than themselves.

Christina reiterated that she and Tarek had been through so much during their time together, stressing that they were too young when they met. Their differences eventually sparked the end of their marriage, an outcome that was not easy to handle.

“When our stuff imploded, I felt like not only did I lose… we were best friends, but also I felt like I lost like, I need to be a full-time mom. And that really, really, really hurt me a lot and really affected me,” Christina confessed.

The former couple first met in 2005 when Tarek was 24 and Christina was 22. They built their house-flipping business together, sparking the creation of the HGTV show “Flip or Flop,” which ran from 2013 to 2022. But things changed after seven years of marriage.

Last year, the TV personality shared his side of the story in a snippet of his book, “Flip Your Life.” He explained that after a “blowup” fight with Christina, he hopped over the fence to scout the trails near their house. He claimed he needed exercise following their argument.

As for the gun, Tarek noted the neighboring Chino Hills State Park featured dangerous wildlife like mountain lions and bobcats. On that note, he took a .38-caliber pistol to protect himself, stressing that he received his California concealed-carry license a few weeks prior.

Last December, The Blast covered Christina and Tarek’s emotional conversation during a sneak peek at their new HGTV show. A vulnerable Christina announced the end of her marriage to Josh, noting they broke up after multiple confrontations and “middle fingers” in her face.

Christina, who shares two children with Tarek, claimed their kids had implored her to leave her third marriage. “They told me he’s not nice to me. Why would I stick around?” She told her ex-husband before referencing their tumultuous history, saying:

“I feel like I’m in a tornado all the time, and I just can’t get out of it. Everything since 2016 has been so hard and so horrible. It’s really taken a really bad toll on me.”

Earlier this month, Christina and her estranged husband butted heads on social media over what Josh claimed was “manufactured drama.” The Blast reported the incident occurred after a teaser episode captured a fight between the former couple.

“TFW when you can’t get enough ratings with celebrity [home] designers, so you rely on manufactured drama with me, a nobody. @HGTV, you’ve changed,” Josh wrote about the sneak peek on his Instagram Story.

Although he tagged HGTV, Christina responded to his accusation on her Instagram Story. “Manufactured?! Pretty sure no one at HGTV told you to be rude to me…. That was all natural,” she alleged in one post.

In a separate upload, she shared a crying selfie dated June 21, 2024, noting it was taken after filming a scene with Josh.

Can Christina Haack possibly achieve the same amicable relationship with Josh Hall that she has with Tarek El Moussa?