Heather Rae El Moussa Reveals What Helped Her Finally Bond With Christina Haack (EXCLUSIVE)

Though Heather Rae El Moussa and Christina Haack square off each week in HGTV’s new hit flipping competition, “The Flip Off,” the two women have forged a kinship that’s shocked and delighted fans.

Heather’s husband of three years, fellow HGTV star Tarek El Moussa, was previously married to Haack from 2009 to 2018. He and Haack were longtime “Flip or Flop” co-stars and share two kids, 14-year-old daughter Taylor and nine-year-old son Brayden.

In the first episode of “The Flip Off” — which premiered on January 29, 2025 — the former couple apologized for past missteps and Tarek offered his support as Haack navigated her split from third husband Josh Hall. Despite the touching moment, the exes have wound up bickering and playfully scheming against each other on each episode of the new series.

But while Tarek’s been plotting and taunting his ex onscreen, Heather’s been establishing a surprising bond with Christina offscreen, telling EntertainmentNOW that despite the competition factor, “The Flip Off” has brought the two women much “closer together.”

Heather Rae El Moussa Got to Know Christina Haack On a ‘Deeper Level’ Through Show

Though there were some highly-publicized bumps along the way to becoming a happy blended family, Heather told EntertainmentNOW on February 26 that she and Christina are “in a really great place.” Two nights before, in fact, they took Taylor for a much-buzzed-about girls’ night out at a favorite restaurant in Newport Beach, California, where their families live and share custody of the kids.

“We had a little girls night, a little bonding night,” Heather said, “and at the end of the night, Taylor was like, ‘You know, this was so much fun.’ We have a good time together.”

“We’ve known each other for six years now; that’s a long time,” Heather said of her evolving relationship with Christina. “And you know, we’re very involved with each other every day because we’re raising children together.”

“But filming ‘The Flip Off’ brought us even closer together,” she told EntertainmentNOW, “because we saw each other in a different way. Not just as co-parents, but we got to know each other on a deeper level, where we created more of a friendship.”

Heather Rae El Moussa Says Learning to Parent on the Fly Was a Huge Learning Curve

When Heather began dating Tarek in 2019, they moved in together a week after their first date and she suddenly had to “learn how to be a parent” to Taylor and Brayden, who were just eight and three at the time.

“I was nervous — I mean, I had never raised children,” she told EntertainmentNOW. “I had never been around children that much, except for my nieces. And I truly never thought I was even going to date a man that had children. So for me, this was a whole new experience. And I was really, like, navigating how to handle being around children — like putting Taylor to bed and reading her stories. I didn’t have them from birth, so it was a huge challenge for me, but really exciting and fulfilling.”

But Heather, who was still starring on Netflix’s “Selling Sunset” at the time, said she was careful not to step on Christina’s toes or try to “take charge,” explaining, “I came in with just love and a pure heart, and the kids really loved me, and I was taking good care of them.”

To ease into getting to know Christina, she said, “I did reach out through text and introduce myself, and just (said), ‘I’m Tarek’s girlfriend, and I’m around the kids a lot. Is there anything that I need to know? Is
there anything that you want to tell me?’ I just wanted to, like, be there to support and not just come in like, ‘I’m the new stepmom and I’m here to take over!’ She’s their mom and I’m not here to take her spot.”

“Along the way, you know, there were ups and downs, of course,” Heather acknowledged. “But we all
have the same wants: for the kids to just be happy and loved, and (know) they’re the most important.”

Heather and Tarek added to their family in January 2023 with the birth of their son Tristan, who appears on their other HGTV show, “The Flipping El Moussas,” now in its second season, airing on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The two-hour season finale of “The Flip Off” airs on March 5 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.