Today, 44-year-old Tarek El Moussa is one of the biggest names on HGTV. After getting his start on “Flip or Flop” in 2013, he went on to build a huge brand for himself on the network. But the journey wasn’t always so simple.
In a new social media post, Tarek vulnerably described his endless uphill climb as he pursued real estate success. From a cancer diagnosis to the real estate crash in the 2000s, the HGTV star admits he had to keep pushing himself, no matter how often he felt like giving up.
Tarek El Moussa Faced a Long Road & Personal Challenges While Pursuing a Real Estate Career
In a new Instagram post, Tarek El Moussa vulnerably spoke about the hardships he faced throughout his lengthy real estate career.
It all began at 18 when Tarek was heavily drinking. He recalled weighing over 235 lbs and knew he wanted to make some healthier changes in his life. At 20, he moved into his mother’s garage and stared working towards his real estate license. By 22, Tarek proudly earned $300,000 in commission and purchased a five-bedroom home worth $800,000.
Though his career was off to a strong start, the situation quickly took a downturn. Tarek El Moussa then revealed he went four months without a paycheck when the real estate market crashed in 2008. It was then he decided to pitch a house flipping show to HGTV, despite having no experience in the area.
The plan took off and HGTV was eager to get the project off the ground. Then, Tarek received a devastating thyroid cancer diagnosis, quickly followed by testicular cancer. Thankfully, he made a full recovery and went on to star in “Flip or Flop” in 2013 with his then-wife, Christina Haack.
While the El Moussas experienced tremendous success with their show and welcomed two children, fame brought on more complications. Tarek suffered a back injury and developed a painkiller dependency. He lost a substantial amount of weight and admitted his marriage started crumbling before his very eyes. The couple divorced in 2018.
The Real Estate Developer Got Another Chance
Becoming newly single and cancer-free caused Tarek to make changes in his life once again. Soon after, he met “Selling Sunset” star Heather Rae Young and became quite smitten with her. They moved in together, and he launched “Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa.” He married Heather in 2021 and welcomed a son with her in 2023.
Today, Tarek and Christina Haack have a friendly relationship and successfully co-parent their children together. They even went on to launch a new show, “The Flip Off,” where the exes go head-to-head in a house flipping competition.
In the comments, fans cheered for the El Moussa family’s success and commended Tarek for overcoming such heavy challenges.
“Wow Tarek! Just wow! You’ve lived through and survived a LOT!” one kind fan wrote in the comments. “I’ve watched you from the beginning, and watched you mature and strive to be the man you are today! You deserve all the best! You’ve earned it! Congratulations!!!❤️👏🙌”
Fans can expect to see new episodes of “The Flip Off” season 2 on HGTV sometime later in 2026.
