Christina and Tarek El Moussa on Coming Back from 'Rock Bottom' One Year After Surprising Split
Christina and Tarek El Moussa are sharing how they’ve bounced back from their lowest point, separately.
On the one-year anniversary of their dramatic public split, both Tarek and Christina El Moussa posted emotionally charged quotes and messages to their Instagrams.
“You do not get to choose the events that come your way nor the sorrows that interrupt your life,” reads an excerpt from the pastor David Crosby’s book Your Pain is Changing You, shared by Christina. “They will likely be a surprise to you, catching you off guard and unprepared. You may hold your head in your hands and lament your weak condition and wonder what you ought to do.”
Crosby’s sentiment also spoke to how the interior decorator handled the breakup — putting on a brave face and even continuing to work with her ex on their TV series, Flip or Flop: “To suffer, that is common to all. To suffer and still keep your composure, your faith, and your smile, that is remarkable.”
She captioned the post simply, “Couldn’t agree more,” adding #keepthefaith.
Tarek shared a quote from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, reading, “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” The writer was famously down on her luck before selling her first Potter book.
“This quote really stood out to me,” Tarek writes in an in-depth message to his followers. “We’ve all faced obstacles and for many they were so horrific they hit the lowest point of their life with no future in sight….when you are at the bottom you feel nothing but pain, misery and despair.” In addition to his pending divorce, the star has battled cancer twice.
But his outlook is still positive. He continues, “Even though you can’t see the light at the bottom it still exists and as time goes on that light starts to shine. Once that light starts to shine take the opportunity to reevaluate who you are and what you want to be. Take it as an opportunity to bounce back and be stronger than ever. In my opinion, rock bottom is an opportunity to start over and do it right!”
The El Moussas split publicly one year ago on December 12, 2016 following a dramatic incident involving a gun and a 911 call. The couple, who had been married for seven years and have two children together (daughter Taylor, 6, and son Brayden, 2), had been secretly separated for eight months before.
Since the split, Christina has dated businessman Doug Spedding, 55, who she was seeing before her marriage to Tarek. Christina and Spedding recently ended their relationship, but she continues to support him as he enters rehab for addiction issues.