Christina Hall has been a staple on HGTV for more than a decade, initially impressing audiences with then-husband Tarek El Moussa on Flip or Flop. Her aesthetic eye, business acumen, and TV personality served to turn a house-flipping operation into a TV juggernaut. But beneath the newly decorated kitchens and sold signs, Christina’s off-screen life has been informed by intensely difficult circumstances. From battling crippling health issues and riding out public divorces to grappling with custody battles and dealing with chronic illness, her professional and personal life has been filled with setbacks that could easily have ruined her career and bliss. Her is a story of perseverance in the midst of storms of public disapproval overcoming some of life’s greatest difficulties.
1. Early Success and the Start of Unforeseen Challenges
When Flip or Flop premiered in 2013, Christina and Tarek were seeming to bask in the luck. They had just given birth to Taylor, their daughter, and their own show was gaining them a faithful following. Little did they suspect, however, that there was a potentially deadly health problem brewing out of sight. One of the viewers, a registered nurse, picked up on a lump on Tarek’s neck and insisted that he have it checked out. The diagnosis came back as thyroid cancer, and the second heartless blow: testicular cancer.
Christina was balancing the needs of a new baby, a hit series, and the emotional burden of her husband’s illnesses. The couple’s popularity was increasing, but so was the tension. The two dual diagnoses and nonstop publicity put pressure on them that started to impact both their working and relationship dynamic. Onscreen, they showed unity, but offstage, they were dealing with death fears, lengthy treatment routines, and unpredictability about what the future held.
2. Fertility Problems and the Toll on Family Life
Christina also experienced her own health-related struggles in trying to start their family at this time. The couple tried in vitro fertilization after a complication-prone first pregnancy.
1. First attempt: Did not succeed.
2. Second attempt: Provided initial good news, but resulted in miscarriage at eight weeks.
3. Third attempt: Resulted in a second high-risk pregnancy. Christina had to follow strict medical regulations, including a week of bed rest and months with no physical exercise, while dealing with anxiety over her first loss.
Six weeks after that, the seeing again caused fear of another miscarriage but their son Brayden was born safely by emergency C-section. While the experience was a delight, it only added fuel to the already entrenched exhaustion in their marriage. Christina later stated that having multiple life-altering events so close together meant there was not much left for healing or reconciliation as a couple.
3. Marital Breakdown and Public Separation
They had deep strain in their relationship by 2016. Police were called to their home that year after a standoff confrontation. Tarek left with a pistol, later rationalizing that he had been going hiking and took it for protection against wild animals. He claimed to have been handcuffed that day, Christina in tears, as their final moment together as a family.
They announced their split six months later. The divorce process was particularly difficult on Taylor, who at first pleaded with her parents to get back together. Christina and Tarek made her feel that she and Brayden would always be their priority, even if they were splitting up. For Taylor’s sake, they put her into therapy. Eventually, she informed them she thought they were happier without each other, an admission that highlighted the emotional damage the marriage had caused the family.
Despite their differences as people, Christina and Tarek chose to keep working together on Flip or Flop as an extension of co-parenting. Despite the option allowing them to maintain professional dignity, tensions sometimes reared their heads most dramatically in a reported on-set fight in 2021, which they publicly stated was resolved.
4. New Relationships, Custody Disputes, and Chronic Health Issues
Following her divorce settlement early in 2018, Christina began dating TV host Ant Anstead. Their relationship progressed at a quick rate, with them getting married the same year and welcoming their son Hudson in 2019. Nevertheless, by 2020, the union had fallen apart. Christina openly stated that she was surprised that she did two divorces and gave birth to children for two former spouses.
The split from Ant came after a very public custody battle for Hudson. There were arguments on Twitter, with Ant saying Christina’s tweets about the boy were inappropriate. Christina then announced she would no longer tweet about Hudson on her accounts. The court matter was resolved in December 2022 but not before offering another emotionally exhausting chapter in her life.
During these kinds of personal shifts, Christina went public in 2020 with being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid. She went on to reveal that she was also grappling with a host of other ailments, including:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Raynaud’s syndrome
- Recurring skin rashes
- Ache in joints and muscles
- Gastrointestinal problems such as SIBO and acid reflux
- Hormonal imbalance and adrenal fatigue
Additional tests revealed lead and mercury poisoning, which Christina attributed to exposure to poisonous chemicals while working on home repairs.
5. Shared Struggles, Public Resilience, and Moving Forward
Christina’s openness about her health is part of a wider public trend of public figures discussing chronic illness. Tarek has spoken about his own fight with cancer, back surgery, and depression. Selma Blair has publicized her suffering from multiple sclerosis, Venus Williams has spoken about living with Sjögren’s syndrome, Dan Reynolds manages ankylosing spondylitis by adopting disciplined life changes, and Kim Kardashian has spoken about her struggles with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. All of these stories cumulatively make a point that health problems can occur with anyone irrespective of public success.
Medical practitioners notice that the management of chronic disease involves taking care of body illness and mental well-being. Christina’s management includes healthy living, support from her husband Josh, and learning to ignore hurtful online criticism. She recently cleared a nasty rumor that she would never work with females by mentioning the many females colleagues on her television show Christina on the Coast.
Although criticism from the public still stings, Christina takes the time to acknowledge the hurt, talk about it, and afterward, move forward. At almost 40, she views this next phase as an opportunity for greater self-confidence. Her existence of illness battles, star coups, and professional growth is ongoing, much like the homes she restores. Bred on determination and grit, her journey has at all times borne a clear message: to measure strength does not mean avoiding danger, but confronting it.
