Tarek El Moussa opens up on rebuilding bond with his children, says he 'wasn't even a good dad'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tarek El Moussa opened up on his journey from tumultuous times to finding strength in fatherhood.
The author of 'Flip Your Life: How to Find Opportunity in Distress—in Real Estate, Business, and Life' admitted that personal struggles negatively impacted his parenthood abilities as he revealed he was not present for his children.
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Tarek El Moussa says the 'pain of losing' his family was so much greater
Speaking to E! News, El Moussa reflected on the period leading up to the 2016 separation from Christina Hall.
"I wasn't a great dad. I wasn't even a good dad," said the 42-year-old.
"I was stressed all the time. I was going through cancers and surgeries and hormones and steroids," he added.
Battling with testicular and thyroid cancer, addiction to opioids after injuring his back, and undergoing hormonal treatments, El Moussa who was overwhelmed following his health struggles, found himself distant from his family.
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He acknowledged the wake-up call following his wife's departure.
"Every single thing that upset me, every single thing that stressed me out, meant nothing. The pain of losing my family was so much greater," El Moussa said.
Tarek El Moussa recalls the defining moment he realized he had been missing in life
Following Hall's departure, El Moussa realized he had never been alone with their daughter Taylor, then just five years old.
"Next thing you know. I'm doing bath time and I'm combing her hair, and I'll never forget just crying," he said.
"Because it was a defining moment of realizing what I had been missing and what's important in life. I'm proud to say I've been the absolute best dad possible" since then, the television personality affirmed.
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Despite him and his children, Taylor, 13, and Brayden, eight, "didn't even know each other" for several years, he expressed gratitude for the opportunity to rebuild his bond with his children.
The 'Flipping 101' star now encourages struggling parents who have "these negative feelings and bad relationships with their kids," that they "can fix it, you've just got to invest the time."
"I wasn't around very much with Taylor and Brayden," El Moussa said.
"With Tristan, since the day he got home from the hospital we did skin-to-skin every night, he'd lay on my chest for an hour," he continued.
"I put in the work. And now my one-year-old son, when he sees me, his eyes light up, he smiles, he throws his arms out," he further said.
El Moussa added that he will "never make the same mistake twice" of missing so much with his older children.
