Christina Haack Reveals She Rejected Josh Hall’s First Proposal—as Why She Feels ‘Grateful for Mistakes’ she Made During Bitter Divorce

HGTV star Christina Haack is looking back on the "red flags" of her relationship with her ex-husband, Josh Hall, while revealing why she feels "grateful" for every mistake following their bitter split.

"The Flip Off" star, 42, who split from Hall in July 2024 after nearly three years together, opened up in a wide-ranging interview with People about the early days of her romance with the former police officer and how she pieced her life back together following their very public battle.

Haack told the outlet that her relationship with Hall, 44, caused many issues in her life—and it all began with the first time he proposed to her at her former home in Dana Point, CA.

"The first time he proposed I said no, and he threw the ring in the pool. That was probably red flag number one," she revealed. "I don't think anyone's ever heard that story before. Sorry. It's true."

Haack claimed that her ex had decorated her terrace before asking for her hand in marriage, but things went south when she rejected him.

"We weren't getting along super great even then, off and on. When things were good, they were good, but it just felt like I wasn't quite ready and so I just said, 'This is not the right time.'

"I don't remember exactly what I said, but he had the patio decorated and he threw it in the pool," she said.

Despite Haack's insistence that she should have seen the warning signs, a representative for Hall told the outlet that "Josh has no clue what Christina is talking about."

The pair eventually got engaged just six months into their relationship in 2021 while in Mexico.

Looking back, the reality TV star noted that the fast pace of the relationship should've set off warning bells in her mind, but she didn't realize it until it was too late.

"The quick courting and all those things, that's sort of what I was used to and it didn't even feel right then.

“I learned to protect myself, my children, my finances, and I also truly, I don't think until this divorce, I learned how much I appreciate peace, freedom, quiet, chill," she told the outlet.

And, Haack revealed she is taking the lessons she learned in her third marriage with her into her new relationship and applying them to her day-to-day life.

“I don’t look at it as starting over, and especially for the fourth time. That just makes me want to cringe.

"It does feel like a fresh start in that for once I’m actually in control of my destiny, and that feels really good," she said.

Although she noted that she is still learning and working on herself each day, she has come to terms with the negative effects of her romance.

"I’m not going to say I have it all together. I’m still learning. I’m still a work in progress. And I’m grateful for my mistakes," she added.

On Monday, Haack revealed that filming for "The Flip Off," which stars her first husband, Tarek El Moussa, and his wife, Heather Rae, had begun.

She told the outlet that she is looking forward to Season 2 of the hit show, especially because Season 1 saw her going head to head with Hall during filming.

“In all honesty, I didn’t want to film the show with Josh. We hadn’t been getting along in a long time, and I’m not talking about weeks, like years.

"The network knew I didn't want to and I had even told Tarek I didn't want to. He joked and said, 'Whatever. You guys are just going to split up in episode two and then the show will go on and everything will be fine.'"

Following her split from Hall, Haack got closer with Tarek and her second husband, Ant Anstead, whom she split from in 2021.

Now, Haack is focusing on taking things slow in her new romance with Christopher Larocca.

“We’re not even discussing getting married. We’re not discussing getting engaged. We’re taking things slow. I promise.

"We're not having children together. We're not in a rush. We don't have a timeline. He's a super busy man. He has his own life, his own friends, his own career, and he's pragmatic," she explained.

The update on her life comes just days after she admitted she still feels "embarrassment" at how her past marriages have ended.

In the summer, HGTV fans were concerned about the fate of "The Flip Off" after HGTV axed several beloved shows, including "Battle on the Beach," Bargain Block," "Married to Real Estate," "Farmhouse Fixer," and "Izzy Does It."

In July, sources claimed that both "Christina on the Coast" and "The Flipping El Moussas" were canceled by the network.

According to Us Weekly, insiders claimed that "Christina on the Coast," which ran for five seasons, the last of which concluded in March of this year, has "not been renewed." "The Flipping El Moussas" lasted two seasons.

Although the network hasn't revealed the reason for the slew of cancellations, a report from Deadline said the decreasing number of viewers is partly to blame.