Christina and Tarek El Moussa, the married stars of the HGTV reality television series Flip or Flop, have separated after seven years of marriage following an alleged altercation earlier this year, according to reports.
The couple, who were married in 2009, confirmed their split in a statement to People magazine on Monday.
“Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage,” the pair said. “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.”
According to TMZ, the incident in question occurred in May at the couple’s home in Orange County. Witnesses reportedly told police they saw Tarek El Moussa retrieve a gun from his safe and quickly exit the house toward a hiking trail, followed shortly afterward by a crying Christina.
When police caught up with El Moussa, he dropped the gun, saying only that he had taken it to “blow off some steam.” Police later searched the couple’s home and reportedly seized five guns, including an AR-15.
In the statement, the couple said they had separated in order to evaluate “the future of our marriage.” The couple currently has two children, a 6-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
“During the process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be,” they said. “We will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together.”
HGTV, the network behind the couple’s hit show, offered its own comment Monday to CNN.
“When it comes to matter related to their own family, we respect their privacy and honor any decision that works best for them and their children,” the network said. “HGTV is currently airing episodes of Flip or Flop and the series will continue production as scheduled.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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