Tarek El Moussa recalls the harrowing gun incident that sent him into a “mental spiral”

Tarek El Moussa finds it easier to talk about one of the darkest chapters of his life.

During an interview on June 7 in Tamron Hall On the show with his wife Heather Rae El Moussa, 42-year-old Tarek talked about reliving the infamous 2016 gun incident that led to his divorce from first wife Christina Hall

Tarek tells Tamron that while writing his book, it was “very difficult” for him to relive that harrowing moment Turn your life around (published in February). He adds that it was the “worst experience of his life” because the incident was taken out of context.

“I was in a mental spiral, but I didn’t want to hurt myself. My mental spiral was affecting me so much that I needed to be alone and go hiking and let off steam and let out energy,” he says, adding, “I have babies, I’m not going to hurt myself. It’s not fair to them.”

The Flip or flop The graduate has 13-year-old daughter Taylor and 8-year-old son Brayden with Christina, as well as 15-month-old son Tristan with his wife Heather.

Seven years after this horrific ordeal, Tarek finally told his side of the story in his memoirs.

He wrote that he and Christina had gotten into a heated argument that day, so he decided to get some exercise at Chino Hills State Park and bring a .38 caliber pistol with him to protect himself in case he encountered any wildlife.

Tarek described his interaction with his ex-wife beforehand as a “blatant” argument. Christina called 911 out of concern for Tarek, and police later swarmed the park to find him.

The incident ended their seven-year marriage in 2016.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in February, Tarek described the weeks immediately following the split as “physical and emotional hell.”

He says he drank himself unconscious, hid on his boat and suffered severe withdrawal symptoms from the testosterone he had taken until friends intervened and took him to a rehabilitation clinic.

Despite the failure of their marriage, he told PEOPLE that he no longer holds any grudges against his ex-wife.

“I have nothing against Christina. I understand why she did what she did. We had many difficult years in which I was ill and had mental problems because of the testosterone,” he said.

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Now the ex-partners are working on a new HGTV series together with their respective spouses. The Flip Offwhich was announced in May, will follow Heather, 36, and Tarek as they compete against Christina and her husband Josh, 43.

The premiere of the new series is scheduled for 2025 and marks Tarek and Christina’s first collaboration since March 2022, when their show Flip or flop ended after nine years.

For more information about Tamron Hall, including show times and channels, visit www.TamronHallShow.com.