‘Flip or Flop’ stars separate just months after police were called to their home
Tarek and Christina El Moussa, the popular stars of HGTV’s “Flip or Flop,” have separated after seven years of marriage, the couple announced in a statement Monday.
The split comes six months after police were called to their home in an incident the two said was an “unfortunate misunderstanding,” The Orange County Register reports.
“Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage,” the two said in their 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.”
TMZ casts the incident as more than a mere misunderstanding. The website reports that in May, sheriff’s deputies were called to the couple’s Orange County home to respond to “a possibly suicidal male with a gun.”
Tarek allegedly grabbed a gun from a safe and fled down a hiking trail in back of the house, TMZ reported. Witnesses reportedly saw Christina run from the house, crying.
Deputies in a helicopter spotted Tarek on the trail and ordered him to drop his weapon; he complied. He later told them he had no intention of hurting himself but wanted to “blow off some steam” and had the gun to protect himself from wildlife, TMZ reported.
Deputies reportedly seized five guns from the home.
The incident prompted the couple to seek counseling, but they decided to separate as they evaluate “the future of our marriage,” their statement said.
“During the process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be. We will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together.”
HGTV has not commented on the show’s future.
According to People, the couple married in 2009 and have two children: Brayden, 1, and Taylor, 6.
This story was originally published December 12, 2016 at 11:20 AM with the headline "‘Flip or Flop’ stars separate just months after police were called to their home."