A new report indicates that Flip or Flop star Christina El Moussa’s new boyfriend, Gary Anderson, is no stranger to bitter splits himself.
Twice over.
The contractor met Christina three years ago, and most recently worked with her and husband Tarek on a backyard renovation project.
He was a witness to Tarek and Christina’s police incident in May, which TMZ reported earlier this month and which led to their separation.
It’s not clear when the El Moussas started seeing other people, or what the infamous fight was about; Tarek and Christina aren’t spilling.
Rather, they’ve put out a statement and social media updates that paint the picture of separated, but amicable and supportive co-parents.
Gary’s role in the HGTV couple’s breakup may be nothing at all … but he surely played a role in a 1999 split from his first wife, Jo Ann.
Their divorce was followed by nearly a decade of nasty court battles, where the couple fought over money and custody of their daughters.
According to court documents, Gary was accused of understating his income to lower spousal and child support payments to his ex-wife.
We’re talking understating it by a lot.
Court papers suggest that Gary claimed to have earned $ 128,000 over the course of a year, although his actual income “was $ 1,044,512.”
$ 128,000 … give or take $ 916,512?
Anderson was ordered to pay ex Jo Ann $ 4,000 per month in spousal support until 2003, along with $ 7,082 per month in child support.
Moreover, he was required to pay $ 100,000 in back child support and agreed to put an additional $ 50,000 in an account for his daughters.
Meanwhile, Gary’s second wife, Denise, filed for divorce in 2005 after just four years. But once again, the contractor didn’t get off easy:
He was forced to give her $ 2,000 a month spousal support for two years, and $ 330,000 from their joint bank account. That’s a lot, right?
Yes, but it’s not even close to all of it.
Gary gave her a brand-new BMW, their $ 700,000 California home and an equalization payment of $ 405,000 in the process of divorcing.
Wow.
News of Gary’s two costly divorce settlements come shortly after Christina revealed she fully intends to move on from her split with Tarek.
At least he seems to have strong earning potential; Anderson must not have a hard time getting home renovation work, are we right?
Gary is the one who told police he saw Tarek bolt from the house and onto a hiking trail, prompting the Christina El Moussa 911 call.
He said that Christina, who was shaking and crying, told him Tarek had a gun (Tarek later said this was just for protection from wildlife).
Anderson was actually at their neighbor’s house when Tarek bolted, according to police, not working for the El Moussas at that moment.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department went to the couple’s home, police sources say, and “made contact with a witness, Gary Anderson.”
The contractor “relayed that he was working next door when we saw Tarek El Moussa run out of his back door.” This was May 23.
Then, he saw the HGTV personality “jump over his back fence and walk northbound into the hiking trails of the Chino Hills State Park.”
Tarek told police, after they located him, that he never intended to hurt Christina or himself, and just did this to “blow off some steam.”
Nevertheless, he turned over his guns (all legal).
The couple’s statement this month chalked all of this up to a huge misunderstanding and denied there was ever a threat of any violence.
Little is known about how and when exactly Christina’s romance with Anderson came to pass, but she hasn’t denied that it’s happening.
