The Truth About Christina Haack's Relationship With Heather Rae Young
Ever since Heather Rae Young, star of "Selling Sunset," began seeing "Flip or Flop" star Tarek El Moussa in summer 2019, fans have been wondering one thing: What is Heather's relationship with Tarek's ex-wife, Christina Haack (previously known as Christina El Moussa and later Christina Anstead), like? Adding to the curiosity is that Tarek and Christina continued working together on "Flip or Flop," which they originally starred in as a married couple. That was unusual enough on its own, but the fact that they continued to work together even after Christina remarried (and later divorced) and Tarek entered into a serious relationship has made the situation a source of some serious speculation.
You might think that Heather and Christina are enemies — or, at the very least, frenemies — but by all accounts, the two women get along quite well. In fact, the reality stars have struck up what promises to be a strong friendship. Here's a closer look at the unusual relationship between Christina Haack and Heather Rae Young.
Tarek El Moussa didn't tell Christina Haack he was dating Heather Rae Young
Things between Christina Haack and Heather Rae Young got off to a bumpy start. When Heather and Tarek El Moussa started dating, the new couple tried to keep their budding romance to themselves for a while. Not long after they started dating, though, the press spotted them together and that secret was out of the bag. That's par for the course with celebrities, of course, but it got a little bit awkward because Christina had no idea that her ex-husband was seeing someone new. Tarek hadn't breathed a word about his new sweetheart to Christina and so she learned of the relationship as most fans did — from the press.
In fairness, the relationship was very new, so it's understandable that Heather and Tarek would want to keep things to themselves as they explored their feelings for each other. Tarek was considering telling his ex that he was dating someone but, as he revealed on "Strahan, Sara and Keke," "the world just let everybody know that we were together."
No, Heather Rae Young isn't trying to look like Christina Haack
When Heather Rae Young and Tarek El Moussa started dating, the public couldn't help but notice that she and Christina Haack have a lot in common. The two women are both reality stars and involved in real estate, but it was more than that. Heather even bears a certain similarity to Christina. They're both slim, blond, and gorgeous, which caused even more buzz when Heather and Tarek started seeing each other.
Some people even accused Heather of deliberately trying to look like her boyfriend's ex, but the "Selling Sunset" star slammed these comments in her Instagram Story (via E! News). In her Story, Heather demanded to know how she could be "trying to look like someone." The reality star added, "Last time I checked I've looked like this my whole life." The idea of her attempting to look like Christina was absurd to Heather, who joked that she "rushed to a doctor to change [her] appearance" and then asked people to "stop being ridiculous."
Heather Rae Young reached out to Christina Haack when things got serious with Tarek El Moussa
While Christina Haack may have had to learn from the press that her ex-husband was dating someone new, she at least got a heads-up when things between Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young started getting serious. In fact, it was Heather herself who made the decision to reach out to her boyfriend's former wife. As Heather explained to E! News, she was mindful of the fact that being with Tarek meant that she would also be spending a lot of time with the kids he shares with Christina. She wanted to reach out to her boyfriend's ex to ask her for "tips."
Heather said that she was the first person Tarek seriously dated and introduced to his kids following his divorce from Christina. "I really think about, how would she feel as their mother, and a new girl is living with the kids?" she said of why she reached out to Christina. "It's only natural for me."
This is why Heather Rae Young and Christina Haack's first encounter was awkward
Tarek El Moussa isn't exactly the best communicator. Not only did he not tell his ex-wife, Christina Haack, that he was seeing someone new, he also didn't warn her before introducing his new girlfriend to the mother of his children. The "Flip or Flop" star admitted on "Strahan, Sara and Keke" that he failed to give Christina a heads-up when he brought Heather Rae Young to meet her for the first time. "I was like, 'Oh, I'm coming over to see the kids. By the way, my girlfriend is coming. See you in five!'" he shared.
Heather didn't get a warning, either. Instead, Tarek just asked his girlfriend if she was ready. When Heather responded, "Ready for what?" El Moussa said they were headed to see his kids and that Christina was going to be there. Talk about awkward! Fortunately, the two women hit it off in spite of the rocky first meeting.
Christina Haack and Heather Rae Young became text buddies
Christina Haack and Heather Rae Young get along quite well. As Tarek El Moussa said on "Strahan, Sara, and Keke," the two women "both eat that healthy, hippie food" and drink "that weird juice," and also "do that weird hiking stuff." To Tarek, it may be weird, but to Christina and Heather, their healthy lifestyles are a perfect reason to be friends — or at least text buddies.
Christina told Us Weekly that their commitment to healthy eating helped bring the two women closer together during spring 2020, during which they began to text each other recipes for food and drinks. While their food tastes may not match up perfectly — Heather is a vegan while Christina is not — they do have a similar taste in alcohol. "We'll share, like, margarita recipes with each other like a skinny watermelon, so yeah, it's nice," Christina divulged to the outlet. "We all get along."
Heather Rae Young once sent Christina Haack flowers for Mother's Day
While Heather Rae Young doesn't have kids of her own, she does have an appreciation for moms and everything they do. For Mother's Day 2020, she decided to honor Christina Haack in a special way and had flowers delivered to her for the occasion.
Christina showed off the lovely bouquet in an Instagram Story (via People). While Christina tagged Heather in the post and thanked her for the flowers, Heather didn't try to claim credit for the touching gesture herself. Instead, she made sure that the accompanying card was signed by Tarek El Moussa and Christina's children, Taylor Reese and Brayden James.
"Christina, happy Mother's Day to the best mommy! Love, Tay + Bray," read the card. The flowers weren't just a nice way to honor the holiday; they also show that Heather is serious about being part of the blended family.
Heather Rae Young is committed to Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa's children
Forget the evil stepmother trope. Heather Rae Young may not officially be a stepmom, but she's got the role down pat. The "Selling Sunset" star is fully committed to being there for Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack's kids. As she explained in an Instagram post, she and Tarek decided on the second date that what they had was the real deal, and Heather knew "that meant me committing to his babies 100 percent." To Heather, "it just felt right" to do so. As such, she threw herself into being a "bonus mom" to Tarek's two kids wholeheartedly.
While Heather shared her hope to be the kids' stepmom one day, she told Entertainment Tonight in May 2020 that she was in no rush for Tarek to propose. "He's my best friend in the whole world and I'm just really enjoying what we have right now," she said. Married or not, Tarek recognizes his girlfriend's ability to be a great stepmom. In an Instagram post, he gushed about how Heather "has been nothing but amazing" interacting with his children. Heather has a particularly close relationship with Tarek's daughter Taylor, telling Life & Style that they "bonded very quickly."
Heather Rae Young and Christina Haack celebrate holidays together
Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa have put together a beautiful blended family that consists not just of their kids and their significant others but also Christina's son with her second ex-husband, Ant Anstead, and, at one point, Ant's children, Archie and Amelie, from a previous relationship. The whole family gets along pretty well, which makes sense considering Christina and Tarek are serious about co-parenting their kids in a positive environment. "The goal is for the kids to feel happy and settled and that's what we want," Christina told Entertainment Tonight.
Being part of a blended family means that Heather and Christina are often thrown together for events and holidays, but they seem totally on board with this. In fact, the two women are happy to spend time together. In October 2019, the whole fam — including Christina's parents — went trick-or-treating together. "It was a lot of fun," Tarek revealed to People.
Divorce can often be difficult on kids, but Tarek and Christina are determined to make things easy on their little ones, and Heather seems equally committed to helping make that happen.
Heather Rae Young doesn't mind Christina Haack working with Tarek El Moussa
Some women might be nervous about their significant other working with their ex. We wouldn't blame Heather Rae Young if she wasn't completely on board with Tarek El Moussa continuing to collaborate with Christina Haack on "Flip or Flop." But Heather, a confident woman and a reality star in her own right, has no problem with her beau working with Christina. As Heather told Radar Online, she's also confident in her relationship with Tarek. "I'm fully supportive of everything," she said.
In the same interview, Heather revealed that Tarek had first asked her out months before they got together. The first time he asked she was in a relationship. When he asked her out a second time, though, she was single and free to say yes. Between Tarek being so smitten and the fact that these two reality stars work so well together, it feels like fate really did match them up.
This is how Christina Haack reacted to Heather Rae Young and Tarek El Moussa getting engaged
It can be hard to move on from a relationship, especially a long marriage like the one Christina Haack and Tarek El Moussa had. Even when things aren't right between a couple and they know splitting up is for the best, there can be a lot of mixed emotions seeing your ex move on with someone else. When Tarek El Moussa proposed to Heather Rae Young in July 2020, no one would have blamed Haack for being upset about the news. She reacted to the happy occasion with grace and joy, however.
While she didn't elaborate too much on how she felt about her ex marrying someone else, she responded with "Of course!" when E! News asked if she had "sent any well wishes" to the newly engaged couple. The "Christina on the Coast" star added, "And I couldn't be happier for them. They're very happy."
Heather Rae Young and Christina Haack talk every day
Since Heather Rae Young and Tarek El Moussa got engaged, Young and Christina Haack seem to be closer than ever. Young has continued to throw herself into being the ultimate "bonus mom" to Taylor and Brayden, and the three celebs have a co-parenting system worked out. While co-parenting can be hard — especially with more than two people in the mix — Haack and Young have a pretty smooth arrangement going that cuts down on drama and tension. The key? Communication.
"We communicate daily about the kids, and they're the most important thing in the world to all of us," Young told Us Weekly. "So, as long as the kids are happy, we're all happy." The "Selling Sunset" star added that she's not afraid of laying down the law with the kids. "I'm raising them at our house," she said. "They respect me as their bonus mom. ... I love them so much."
The two women respect each other as mothers
When Heather Rae Young sent Christina Haack flowers for Mother's Day in 2020, it seems to have kicked off an annual tradition between the two women. Haack received another bouquet the following year, posting a picture of the pretty arrangement to her Instagram Story. The note accompanying the stems read, "Happy Mother's Day to the best mom ever! We love you so much!" (via Today).
Haack thanked Young in her Instagram Story, but she also reciprocated the love with a floral arrangement of her own. She was less effusive with the accompanying note than Young had been, though, simply writing, "To Heather," and signing off with a heart, her name, and the names of her kids with El Moussa. While Haack might not have been prepared to declare Young "the best mom ever," Young clearly appreciated the gesture. "Thank you @christinahaack happy Mother's Day," she wrote in her Instagram Story.
Is Christina Haack invited to Heather Rae Young's wedding?
While Christina Haack and Heather Rae Young have a solid relationship, it's very much one that is built on mutual respect and co-parenting. The two women are friends by circumstance, but that doesn't mean they're BFFs and that Haack will be joining Young's bridal party. In fact, Haack won't be present on the big day at all.
Tarek El Moussa's "Flip or Flop" co-star isn't being omitted from the guest list because of any bad blood, though. As he explained to Entertainment Tonight, he just doesn't want to make the day awkward with any exes on his and Young's special day. "No, no exes at the wedding," he said.
He added that he and Young want a "small" ceremony with "more intimate, better conversations with the people around us." El Moussa said that the couple believe "smaller is better," and Young agreed. "Just intimate, with our best friends and family," she chimed in. "We're gonna have to be strict with our list."