Tarek and Heather El Moussa are breathing in some “fresh air” and relishing in “slow mornings” after escaping to a mountain cabin with their young son and their parents.
Heather, 38, who tied the knot with Tarek, 44, in 2021, took to Instagram to share some heartwarming images from the couple’s “happy place,” offering a glimpse of the retreat where they have been embracing nature with their 2-year-old son, Tristan.
Just weeks after purchasing a new $5.2 million home in Newport Beach, CA, the duo appeared thrilled to get the chance to escape somewhere new—particularly after starting the rigorous process of filming Season 2 of their hit HGTV show “The Flip Off.”
The photos showed Heather—whose mom and dad accompanied them on the trip—Tarek and Tristan taking strolls through the woods, relaxing by a lake, and pausing to snap a few selfies along the way.
“Nothing refuels the soul like fresh mountain air and family time,” she wrote in the caption. “Grateful for slow mornings, daily nature walks, messy hair, and seeing Tristan in his full element. The mountains and being outside is his happy place!”
In the first image, Heather, Tarek, Tristan, and her parents all grinned from ear to ear as they snapped a selfie.
The next couple of snaps saw their young son playing around in the dirt and grass, before being taken by the hand by Tarek.
Heather also took her own solo shot with her young son as the duo sat atop a rock and smiled widely.
The mom also shared a photo of her son eating an apple while sitting on her lap, sitting on the couch, and lying in bed.
It is unclear where exactly the couple retreated to. However, they are known for heading to Running Springs, CA, which is where her parents live and her hometown, when they need to take a break from their packed schedule.
Their relaxing trip comes just days after Tarek’s ex-wife, Christina Haack, revealed that he was the one to let HGTV know that her most recent ex, Josh Hall, needed to be removed from their shared series.
Christina, 42, who split from Josh in July 2024 after nearly three years together, opened up about the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship in a wide-ranging interview with People—revealing how Tarek was the one who rushed to her aid in the wake of her marriage ending.
The mother of three told the outlet that the moment she and Josh, 44, called it quits had a massive impact, not only on her personal life, but also on her professional career in front of the cameras, leaving everyone questioning if “The Flip Off” would still go ahead.
Initially, the series was meant to feature Tarek and Heather competing against Christina and Josh in a couples’ renovation competition—with filming already underway by the time the latter duo split.
Luckily, Christina recalled how Tarek came to the rescue and made sure she could focus on healing her broken heart, opting to call the network producers himself to alert them that Josh would not be returning to the show.
“Tarek told our attorney and told the network for me that Josh would no longer be a part of the show,” she explained. “They said, ‘No problem. That’s fine.’ They just said, ‘We need Christina to have a scene where she tells you, Tarek, that Josh is no longer going to be a part of the show.’”
A week later, that scene was filmed and it caused everyone on set to become emotional.
The producers “didn’t tell me anything. They just said, ‘Tarek’s coming over. We want you to tell him that you and Josh broke up.’ But for me, [the scene] was never really about Josh. It was more about me and Tarek and everything that’s happened since then,” Christina added.
In the end, the scene became a safe space for the exes to pour out their feelings and forgive everything they had done in the past.
“That scene lasted probably an hour and a half in reality, and everyone was crying: the camera operators, the production crew. It was emotional. Through the years, we have obviously had talks, and we’ve apologized to each other, but not on camera and not like that. I don’t think he expected me to go there,” she said.
Christina noted that since they split in 2016, they have focused on making their friendship better.
“We’ve both taken ownership for our responsibilities. We’ve known each other since we were 22, and I respect him. He’s a hard worker. He’s a great dad. He’s come a long way in our relationship. Both of us have a lot of gratitude, and both of us have a lot of respect for each other,” she added.
Christina’s behind-the-scenes admission about her divorce came hours after she told the outlet that her relationship with Josh caused many issues in her life—and it all began with the first time he proposed to her at her former home in Dana Point, CA.
“The first time he proposed, I said no, and he threw the ring in the pool. That was probably red flag No. 1,” she revealed. “I don’t think anyone’s ever heard that story before. Sorry. It’s true.”
Christina claimed that her ex had decorated her terrace before asking for her hand in marriage, but things went south when she rejected him.
“We weren’t getting along super great even then, off and on. When things were good, they were good, but it just felt like I wasn’t quite ready, and so I just said, ‘This is not the right time.’
“I don’t remember exactly what I said, but he had the patio decorated and he threw it in the pool,” she said.
Despite Christina’s insistence that she should have seen the warning signs, a representative for Josh told the outlet that “Josh has no clue what Christina is talking about.”