Tarek El Moussa opened up to Us Weekly about his new life, a year after his split from Christina El Moussa. The Flip or Flop star told Us that now his main focus is being a better person and a better dad to the two kids he shares with his ex-wife — daughter Taylor, 7, and son Brayden, 2.
“Going through the divorce and separation was such a horrifying experience. It tests your mental and physical strength and it’s just such a painful thing and eventually, as time goes on as you work towards it, you get out of that pain and you see light at the end of the tunnel,” Tarek told Us. “You realize that all the things that used to upset you or frustrate you or stressed you out before are so irrelevant. Going through something so traumatic makes you reevaluate life and really who you are and want to be.”
Tarek said that one of the positive things that came out of his marriage ending is having the opportunity to focus more on his children. “I want to be the absolute best dad possible. Being 100 percent present and there for my kids,” the HGTV star, 36, told Us. “A lot of times when you’re in a relationship, a marriage, or a household, dads do certain things and moms do certain things, well now I’m on my own now, so it’s kind of a blessing in disguise because I get to do everything.”
With the holidays quickly approaching, the reality TV personality says he stays busy to avoid any feelings of loneliness. “I have a new life. I’m with my kids 100 percent when I’m not with my kids I’m with my friends, I’m with my family, I’m doing holiday things, I’m going to events, so I don’t get lonely at all,” he tells Us. “That’s one thing I can say. I’m very, very active today and doing fun things and expanding my horizons and just getting out there.”
While the handsome star seems to have perfected how to keep the holiday blues at bay, he knows it’s not as easy for other single people. “All the people that are having tough times around the holidays I say, ‘Go out there and treat yourself. Go buy yourself a gift that you want. Go get a new haircut that you want. Go spend a little money on yourself,’” Tarek says. “Beyond that, there are so many holiday parties and different parties out there. My opinion is go, get out there, talk to people, meet some new friends, do some new things, expand your group.”
Tarek has been working on himself since his divorce but says he’s still not ready for a relationship. “It’s just the first time in a long time that I’m on my own and I’m finally taking care of me and how I feel and what I want out of life and what makes me happy, so I couldn’t even imagine being in a relationship right now,” he shared. “I won’t be in a relationship until I think it’s something I’ll be able to do longterm. I’m just not in that position. I don’t want to bring someone around my kids and that person goes away after they get attached. For me, it’s very, very important to be sensitive to the kids and their feelings.”
The TV star also revealed that he’s never gone on any dates with a celebrity, but he’d be willing to in the future. “I’d be open to it, I just don’t know any celebrities,” he told Us. “That girl from Silicon Valley is so pretty. I don’t know who she is or her name.”
Meanwhile, Tarek said that his business relationship with his ex, 34, has remained intact after their split. “When we’re working we’re doing business and once we’re done with business, we go our separate ways,” he said, adding that they also continue to be fully committed to co-parenting their children. “We need to do what’s best for them, which is to get along and do the right thing.”
For the new year, Tarek’s goal is to continue working toward being a better parent and person so that he can help others. He said, “I feel the man I am today is better than I’ve ever been and with anything in life, there’s always room to improve.”
As previously reported, the Flip or Flop stars announced they were separating in December 2016 after seven years of marriage. “During this process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be,” the couple said in a joint statement to Us Weekly at the time. “We will continue to work through this process civil and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together.”
Tarek filed for divorce in January and Christina responded in August. After their split, Christina dated businessman Doug Spedding, but they broke up in October.
