HGTV star Christina Anstead and Ant Anstead announced plans to separate on Friday. The couple has been married for almost two years and are parents to Hudson London Anstead, who was born in September 2019. Anstead was previously married to her Flip or Flop co-star Tarek El Moussa, with whom she shares two children, Bradyon James, 5, and Taylor Reese, 9.
“Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate,” Anstead, 37, wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of the former couple on a beach. “We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority. We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.” Ant, 41, did not share the news on his own Instagram page, which he has not used since he shared photos from a beach day with Hudson on Sunday.
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Ant and Anstead began dating in October 2017. They married in December 2018 at their home in Newport Beach, California. This was also the second marriage for Ant, who shares Amelie, 16, and Archie, 14, with ex-wife Louise Herbert. Anstead and Ant created a “winter wonderland” wedding, and their children all play major roles in the ceremony. “We wanted to make it about the kids,” Ant told PEOPLE at the time. “It’s the six of us. We’re a blended family so it was really important for them to be a part of it.”
Earlier this month, the couple shared tributes to Hudson, who celebrated his first birthday on Sept. 6. “Happy [1st] Birthday Hudson,” Anstead wrote, alongside a collection of photos of their baby boy. “Sweet, sensitive, busy boy … can’t wait for you to be chasing your siblings around the house soon — we love you.” Ant called Hudson their “miracle baby, the perfect blend of your beautiful mummy, and this Brit dad.” Ant noted that all of their children have birthdays close together, which he did not think was a coincidence. “It was written in the stars,” he wrote.
As for El Moussa, he got engaged to Selling Sunset star Heather Rae Young, 33. However, he and Anstead still made 15 new episodes of Flip or Flop together. The show’s ninth season will debut on HGTV on Thursday, Oct. 15. “Tarek and I have a common goal to create beautiful houses for families,” Anstead said in a statement earlier this month. “We work hard but our priority is spending quality time with our wonderful kids and raising them to appreciate the love of family.”
El Moussa and Anstead have maintained a good relationship while co-parenting their children, a source told Us Weekly. The exes are “happier than ever,” the source said. “They’ve gotten to a great, peaceful and friendly place in terms of co-parenting and working together.” Anstead and El Moussa, 39, married in 2009 and split in 2016.
