Christina Haack Reveals the Secret to Her Unconventional Friendship with 2 Ex-Husbands (Exclusive)

Christina Haack is no stranger to making peace after a messy divorce — but both parties have to put in the work, she says. 

In an exclusive interview for PEOPLE’s cover story earlier this month, Haack, 42, shared the secret to her unconventional friendships with her first ex-husband, Tarek El Moussa, 44, and her second ex-husband Ant Anstead, 46. 

The HGTV star underwent rocky divorces with both exes, but was eventually able to make a smooth co-parenting relationship work with both of them and even spend time together as a blended family. She shares daughter Taylor, 15, and son Brayden, 10, with El Moussa, as well as son Hudson, 6, with Anstead. 

“It really takes everyone in a co-parenting situation wanting to make it work,” she tells PEOPLE. “I have people message me all the time to be like, ‘How did you do that? My husband’s ex hates me,’ or ‘I could never hang out with my ex.’”

Haack now stars on her new HGTV show The Flip Off alongside Tarek and his wife Heather Rae El Moussa. While the trio make great co-parents, Haack also has a strong friendship with Heather, despite experiencing a rough start to their relationship.

Haack and her new boyfriend Chris Larocca — who she started dating in October 2024 — even enjoy hanging out with the couple and often go on double dates together. 

“It takes all of us, and right now there’s four people in this situation — myself, my boyfriend Chris, Tarek and Heather — and all of us want to get along,” she adds. “All of us work hard to make sure that we’re all getting along.”

She also credits one trait that both she and Tarek share that helped them put all the bad blood from their divorce behind them once and for all.

“I’m really good at letting go of the past, so is Tarek. We can be over something in literally like .5 seconds and never want to talk about it again,” she shares. “So I think it’s just a maturity level and us putting the kids first and then the rest is kind of easy.”

As for her great co-parenting relationship with her second husband, Haack opens up about how her third divorce in 2024 actually brought her and Anstead closer together. 

“My relationships with everyone, I think, improved. When Josh [Hall] and I split up, Ant and I immediately had a heart-to-heart and he said, ‘I want to co-parent Hudson. Like you and Tarek do.’ Not those words exactly, but he said, ‘I want to have a great co-parenting relationship with you,'” she shares.

Haack and Anstead’s reconciliation came after the exes, who split in September 2020, were entangled in a heated custody battle over their son. While it was finally settled in November 2022, their relationship remained tense for years.

However, once the pair agreed to have a “fresh start,” they now enjoy spending time together again as co-parents, Haack says.   

“We go to soccer games. We sit next to each other at school. We do birthday parties together. And thank God, because that would make me so sad if growing up, Hudson, didn’t get to have those things with us,” she says. 

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The designer adds that while some may find her unconventional relationship with her ex-husbands “weird,” she thinks it’s the exact opposite. 

“I think my kids love that they know anyone can come over here and we could do Christmas together and we could do parties together. So it’s nice for the kids. It’s not weird at all. It’s wonderful.”