It's been a big nine months for HGTV star Tarek El Moussa! The star of Flip or Flop has been happily dating Heather Rae Young of Selling Sunset, and now the two have taken a big step together: They've moved into a new home for themselves, right in Newport Beach.
The couple had been living together in Tarek's "bachelor dad pad" in Costa Mesa, California, before deciding that what they really needed was a fresh start, together. After the deal on one home fell through, they ended up in an amazing five-bedroom rental that they love.
Heather told People, "We're used to things being thrown at us. So it was just another challenge." Tarek added that at this point, he's pretty much seen it all. "I've been in real estate a very long time, and you learn new things every day. I never thought by living in a different location, it would change the way you live."
Tarek and Heather even ended up moving to their new home in the middle of the health crisis. While they had been looking for a new home together for months, nothing really came together until April. And by then, everyone involved with the move had to don gloves and masks, which was pretty new.
In April, Tarek said that their new home is "our in-between house until we build or find the perfect house. But I mean, this is a super killer house. It's nicer than the house we were living in — it's right by the water and kind of looks like a hotel."
And it sounds like the new location has had a positive impact on everyone in the home. Tarek says he really loves where they live right now. "We've absolutely fallen in love with Newport Beach. I was never an outdoor guy before, but now I come home from work and I look outside and there are people everywhere having fun. Now I want to be active with the kids."
The family has even taken a big step and hired a tennis teacher. "We have a tennis instructor now so the kids will play for an hour and then Tarek and I will play for an hour," Heather explained. They're also super sore from swimming all day in the house's pool.
Continuing to bond with Tarek's kids has also been really important to Heather. Even though she and Tarek haven't been together for a whole year yet, Heather already refers to herself as a "bonus mom" to the children Tarek shares with his ex, Christina Anstead. She even sent a bouquet to Christina on Mother's Day, and she received her own Mother's Day card from the kids.
Tarek and Heather were first publicly linked in July 2019. At the time, a source who knows the couple described their time together as "nothing official" to E! News. "Tarek and Heather have recently started hanging out, but it's nothing serious nor official." Eventually, Tarek admitted that they had been introduced "a while back" from the time that the first photos of them were published.
In August 2019, Tarek posted a photo of himself with Heather, thus making their relationship official in the eyes of Instagram and the rest of the internet.
In his post, he wrote, "It's official!!!! After more than 3 years on my own I'm so PROUD to say that this beautiful, sweet and talented young lady is my girlfriend! The first time I saw her smile she 'did that thing to my tummy' and I knew right away I needed to get to know her… so I asked her out!! She said yes."
He also wrote, "In life you can't predict the future! I couldn't predict divorce! I couldn't predict two cancers! I couldn't predict my back injury! You just never know what tomorrow brings. I just want to let the world know I met someone special that makes me want to be a better man."
Later that month, Tarek and Heather sat down for their first interview together as a couple. "We really focus on having fun and living life and just enjoying each other's company. And going out to dinner, and going boating, and….I'm talking too much because I'm excited." Heather added, "He's been very romantic, it's been very amazing. All happiness and smiles."
Tarek and his ex-wife, Christina, separated in December 2016 and finalized their divorce in January 2018. Christina started dating Ant Anstead in October 2017, and they got married on December 22, 2018. Their son, Hudson, was born in September 2019.
Tarek had nothing but positive things to say about Ant and Christina's marriage. "I'm glad she found someone. It's a good thing, it's a positive thing. I'm not the type that wants to fight with her for the rest of my life, and make my kids miserable. The truth is, everything we do is about the kids, and at the end of the day, my kids are going to have a stable household, and she's going to have help, and that's exactly what they need. So I want to let everybody know I'm not devastated, I'm not heartbroken, I'm not upset. I'm actually really happy for her, and I'm happy for Ant, and most importantly, I'm happy for my kids."
