Christina Haack’s Recent Revelation About Her Attachment Style Makes Sense
On April 8th, 2025, HGTV star Christina Haack posted on her Instagram account “As someone who recently discovered I have anxious attachment (not sure what took me so long 🤪) and for sure a history of co-dependency issues .. things can be challenging and by “things” I mean “me”. We are all used to seeing Haack posting on Instagram. In fact, it’s not unusual for her to talk about her relationships, both in the positive and the negative. Photos are also a favorite for her to share with husbands at the time, and now with her new boyfriend, Chris Larocca. However, this posting feels far more personal. It is brave and honest and explains much more about the troubled Flip and Flop star’s relationship with men.
Anxious attachment style or co-dependency are not officially listed as a mental illness, but can still take a serious toll on mental health. According to the non-profit academic medical center Cleveland Clinic, who specialize in the subject, “an anxious attachment style is an insecure attachment style that’s characterized by a strong desire for meaningful relationships, a fear of abandonment and rejection, and a high need for reassurance and support.” There is a dual nature to anxious attachment that has 2 faces. Under stress, you might seem clingy and seek constant reassurance, which can push partners away. When things go well, you often prioritize your partner’s needs over your own.
Christina Haack Has Fear of Rejection and Abandonment
As we try to understand the significance of Haack’s Instagram post, we have to ask, is this diagnosis reflective of her characteristics? Cleveland Clinic’s clinical psychologist, Kendra Mathys, PsyD, explains an anxious attachment style. “But with that comes a strong fear of rejection or abandonment, which can lead to heightened jealousy or mistrust in the relationship and feeling insecure in terms of their self-worth in the relationship,”
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From what we know about Christina Haack, there is a dependency on being in a secure relationship. In her Instagram post, she talked about her current boyfriend, Chris Larocca. “Meeting an unexpected, good man who has his amazing career, life and hobbies (who also happens to have zero jealousy) can at times feel strange for someone who has had the opposite”. Looking at these words by the Flip or Flop star we can start to get a better understanding of her relationships and marriages. By connecting these behavior patterns, Haack’s condition of anxious attachment is more apparent.
What Is Anxious Attachment Style?
Though experts don’t fully understand what shapes a person’s attachment style, parenting behaviors are believed to play a key role. Fear of abandonment based on upbringing can trigger adult anxious attachment. Christina Haack’s marriages and breakups have been well documented over the years, often generating more press and social media commentary than any of her HGTV shows.
Her willingness to engage in new relationships soon after her break-up has often been met with cynicism and criticism. This is unjustified, as we now have a fuller understanding of her condition. Anxious attachment can give you difficulties feeling secure in any type of relationship — including those with family, friends, and partners. This is likely to be the reason for Haack’s complicated and numerous marriages.
“The day Tarek and I officially started dating, which was October 9, 2006, we moved in together.” Christina Haack recalls when she and Tarek El Moussa became a couple during an interview with Good House Keeping in 2017. Haack met Tarek El Moussa a year earlier in 2005. She was 22, had just graduated from San Diego State University, and started working as a real estate agent in California. Tarek El Moussa, 24, was working at the same firm, also as an estate agent. Haack was coming out of a relationship, El Moussa was in one. When El Moussa broke up with his then girlfriend, Haack and El Moussa got together. In May 2009, the pair married.
Tarek and Christina’s Big TV Break Came in 2013
Tarek and Christina’s big break on HGTV came several years later when another estate agent informed them that a production company, Pie Town Productions, was casting for a show called House Flipper. Haack, who was now pregnant with their first child, Taylor, filmed Tarek and his friends walking through an open house. The production company saw it, liked it, and filmed more footage of them. Haack explains, “I just remember driving to an auction and thinking there’s just no way this is going to happen,” she recalls. “Then, all of the sudden, HGTV wanted a pilot and the pilot got picked up, and it was a series, overnight.” That show would be renamed Flip or Flop and premiered in 2013.
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The home renovation show was a huge hit and ran for 10 seasons, turning Christin and Tarek into household names. In 2015, Christina gave birth to their second child, Brayden. The couple’s success on HGTV continued to grow, with shows, Christina on the Coast, Christina in the Country, and The Flipping El Moussas. However, their personal lives had taken a turn for the worse.
In December 2016, Tarek and Christina split after seven years of marriage. The couple ended their relationship following an explosive fight they had earlier that year. Police were called to the home on 23 May 2016 in response to a “possibly suicidal male with a gun,” Later, the HGTV star would state Us Weekly. “We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed.”
Christina Haack Wastes No Time Moving On to New Romances
These events appeared to have risen after the couple hired Gary Anderson as a contractor to redo their swimming pool in 2015. “Christina grew close to Anderson,” An insider told In Touch. “Tarek was suspicious that she was getting involved with someone but had no concrete evidence. ”The insider would later say. “Tarek saw Christina’s phone and [believed] there was some inappropriate texting going on between Christina and Gary,” Soon after the couple separated Haack was linked to Gary Anderson, but the romance ended in February 2017. Later, Haack was linked with the former Anaheim Ducks player Doug Spedding, but the relationship only lasted a few months.
In November 2017, Haack began seeing British TV presenter Ant Anstead. Within a year, the pair got married at their Newport Beach, California, home in December 2018. A year later they welcomed their first child, son Hudson, in September 2019. However, one year later, in September 2020, Haack announced their split in an Instagram post.
“Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate. We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority.” Haack added. “We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.” Their divorce was finalized in June 2021.
Christina Haack and Josh Hall Engaged in Bitter Divorce Battle
Christina Haack and Josh Hall became Instagram official in July 2021. Two months later they got engaged. In October 2021, the HGTV star and Hall were believed to have secretly married. But it wasn’t until September 2022 that Haack went on to share Instagram photos showing their formal wedding in Maui in September 2022. What appeared to be a happy marriage soon turned bitter. After less than two years of marriage. Christian Haack and Josh Hall were separated. Hall cited the reason as irreconcilable differences. Christina filed her divorce petition with the Orange County Superior Court on July 15, 2024.
In January 2025, six months after separating from husband Josh Hall, Christina Haack was spotted in public for the first time with her new boyfriend, businessman, Chris Larocca. They had attended a Christmas party at lifestyle influencer Amy Sexton‘s home. Since then, the couple have posted and been photographed dozens of times together.
From Orange County to Paris, France, it’s clear Christina Haack is happy to show off her new man to the world. In her same Instagram post she wrote on 8th April 2025, she concluded with, “At 41 I’m finally learning about safe communication, independence during commitment, and a relationship that is NOT 0-100. I am for sure guilty of putting pressure on others . Facing my own insecurities has forced me into doing the shadow work I’ve been avoiding..it’s time to break the cycle.”
