Say it isn’t so. Christina Anstead and husband Ant Anstead split after nearly two years of marriage — and it seems the couple “just grew apart,” an insider exclusively tells Life & Style.
“No one saw this coming. I’m hearing that Christina and Ant just grew apart,” the source exclusively explained. “They’re very different people from totally different backgrounds, and that definitely played a factor. Friends say Ant was the first one who started having feelings about splitting.”
Despite the bombshell breakup, things seem mostly amicable between the reality stars. “It’s very sad, but they say they still love and respect each other,” the insider continued. “The conversations about splitting were gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, but they both came to the same conclusion and decided it wasn’t going to be a lifetime marriage.”
“The crazy thing is that on the outside they looked like the perfect couple,” the source added. “It just goes to show that you just never know what’s going on behind closed doors.”
The Flip or Flop star, 37, announced the “difficult decision to separate” from the Wheeler Dealers star, 41, on Instagram on Friday, September 18. “We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority,” Christina captioned a photo of the former flames walking on the beach together. “We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.”
The couple seemed to be going strong when Christina posted a cute PDA-filled snap while enjoying champagne in April. “We were supposed to be in the desert with my parents and all five kids, but those plans are canceled … roll with the punches,” she wrote on Instagram amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Cheers to a healthy Easter at home. Hope everyone has a nice Easter. We are definitely going to miss church and a big family egg hunt. We are both missing our families and friends a lot.”
Christina and Ant tied the knot in December 2018 during an intimate ceremony at their shared home in Orange County, California. In September 2019, they welcomed their first child together, son Hudson London Anstead.
The HGTV personality is also mother to daughter Taylor, 9, and son Braden, 5, from her previous marriage to her costar Tarek El Moussa. The car enthusiast also has two kids of his own — daughter Amelie, 19, and son Archie, 14 — from a previous relationship.