Fans of Christina Haack likely know her for her work with ex-husband, Tarek El Moussa on "Flip or Flop."
When Christina married someone new, it had her fans wondering who this mystery man was.
What is there to know about Christina’s second ex-husband?
Here's a closer look at Ant Anstead.
Ant Anstead has always been a car guy, so when he was asked to join the television show
"Wheeler Dealers" on Discovery in 2017, he jumped at the opportunity.
However, being on the show was never about fame for him.
He told Classic Proof,
"The cars are the stars.
And the fact is that we just have the privilege to be the pair that talks about cars."
When Anstead took over as co-host during Season 14, there was some pushback from fans who
had been with the show since the beginning.
It was a disappointing start, but Anstead pushed past it.
When Ant Anstead decided to join the television series "Wheeler Dealers," it meant moving
to America to be a part of the production.
Anstead had lived his whole life in the U.K.
However, this British bloke seems to have easily adjusted to the sunny California coast.
He revealed,
"Personally, I've really settled in.
I love living in Newport Beach.
[I love] being in this part of the world."
The decision for Anstead to leave his friends and family on the other side of the world
was not an easy one for him to make, but he says it was worth it.
The west coast is where he met Haack, with whom he once shared a home that was just minutes from the beach.
Of course, it had an enormous garage for all of his cars.
Anstead has been a lover of all things automotive since he was just a kid.
He began building when he was only 12 years old, purchasing old lawn mower parts to build
go-carts that he was able to drive before receiving his license.
Only a year later, he began building the first of what would be many cars.
Needless to say, the day Anstead was actually able to get his driver's license was an exciting
one that he had been waiting for for years.
He told MotorTrend,
"In England you have to be 17 years old to get a driving license.
So when I was literally 17 and an hour, I was driving, because I was a car guy, I always wanted to drive."
Ant Anstead immediately joined the police force after high school, as one of the U.K.'s
youngest officers.
He still built cars in his spare time and has even admitted to being a part of some
pretty crazy car chases while on the job.
After six years, he ended up leaving this dangerous life to build cars full time.
He told Lotus,
"The best move I've ever made was making the decision to wake up one morning and decide
this is what I love and this is what I want to do forever."
When television eventually came calling, Anstead's previous experience as a policeman surprisingly
helped make it a much easier transition.
He explained to Influx Magazine,
"When you're standing in-front of someone armed - that's real fear.
It kind of makes standing on stage or in front of a camera easy."
In addition to being a car guru, Ant Anstead is also a published author!
Anstead was in the process of quote, "polishing off" his third book in April 2020.
Writing "Cops and Robbers: The Story Behind the British Police Car" gave Anstead the opportunity
to combine his passion for cars with his previous occupation as a policeman.
Ahead of releasing the book, Anstead announced,
"It's going to be an epic book and researching it meant that I got to hang out with old police
cars, which was very cool."
Anstead spent months researching and sourcing old photographs for this historical handbook,
and he even enlisted the help from regulars of the Police Car U.K. club meeting held at
the British Motor Museum back in his home country of England.
While Anstead wasn't against the idea of being a TV personality, it wasn't something that
ever really crossed his mind.
Instead, he focused on his work as a mechanic, building cars in his garage full-time.
In fact, that's what he was doing in 2013 when England's Channel 4 called and asked
if he would be a part of their new car show, "For the Love of Cars."
Two years later, the U.S.-based "Wheeler Dealers" gave him a call to ask if he'd join their program, as well.
Anstead told Motoring Middle East that he has never been one to say no to a new opportunity,
saying,
"I'd never done TV before.
I just knew in my heart, 'Sure I want to do this.
It's something that I really love.'"
“I’m really honored that they would consider me for this role, it’s a real privilege.”
Christina Haack and Ant Anstead each had two children before welcoming their son Hudson in 2019.
Before marrying the "Christina on the Coast" star, Anstead was married to his now ex-wife, Louise.
Their two children Amelie and Archie are his everything, and the two teens travel back
and forth between their mother's house in the U.K. and Anstead's place in Newport Beach, California.
Before his split from Haack, Anstead made it clear that he was adamant about keeping
his kids comfortable in their blended family - and this included Haack's kids, too.
He told People,
"If you ever make a decision that doesn't put the kids first, it is the wrong decision."
After over 20 years of building cars, Antstead holds a world record in the automotive industry.
Anstead built an Aston Martin that was sold at an auction for the most amount of money in history.
He explained,
"People lust after these cars more than ever before and there are individuals willing to
pay more money than ever to have one.”
Before his big sale, Anstead revealed that he had taken two of the same vehicle to a
local scrapyard, not realizing that he was missing out on hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Anstead has met many automobile enthusiasts who own hundreds of cars.
He’s said,
"People collect these cars in the same way as people collect stamps.
That will always shock me."
When Ant Anstead isn't busy kicking around car parts, he's kicking around a soccer ball.
Anstead was actually a semi-professional player back in the U.K., and he played over 700 games
as both a goalie and a striker.
Unfortunately, he received an arm injury that left him in a sling in 2019, and happened
to come in the middle of shooting a season of "Wheeler Dealers."
As the show's main car mechanic, Anstead had to enlist some help in order for him to get
the job done with only one functioning arm.
Ant Anstead started a U.K.-based business called Dowsetts Classic Cars in which he built and restored cars.
His car restoration service started off as a small workshop at his home, with the professional
mechanic building one car at a time by himself.
After cashing out from the cars he built and sold, he was able to build up his business, as well.
It has since turned into a customized car experience for each client that Anstead and his team work with.
He explained to Influx,
"We even ensure the seating position, steering wheel, and pedals suit the customer's exact size and frame.”
The cars, as his company's name implies, are indeed classics - but most of them are completely
made from scratch from the foundation up.
He said,
"Although they look old, they're brand new."
Anstead is really into crafting, and says that this hobby has a lot in common with being a mechanic.
According to Anstead, it's all about putting your personality into it.
He explained,
"It's that hands-on, creative spark that set me on the path to be a car builder.
But building cars hasn't stopped me [from] making other stuff!"
After shooting an episode of Anstead's very first television show in the U.K.
- "For the Love of Cars" - Anstead took an old, beat-up canvas hood that he had removed from a Land Rover.
Knowing it still had to be useful for something, he decided to make himself a bag out of it.
He said,
"Every time I use the bag, it reminds me of the restoration and the people I met when
rebuilding that car.”
In 2012, Anstead became an ambassador for Harrison's Fund.
The charity is committed to awareness and research of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a
progressive genetic disorder in children which typically affects boys.
Anstead said of the organization,
"Knowing I am supporting something which could eventually mean a new lifeline for thousands
of young boys each year is something I am proud to lend my voice to.”
“Don’t be afraid to fight.
We can’t let this beat us.”
In 2017, Anstead auctioned off a car he built from scratch for the charity at a motor show
in the U.K. He announced,
"Being able to combine two things I am passionate about is a no brainer for me!
I get to build a car and at the same time help Harrison's Fund.”
His "Wheeler Dealers" co-host Mike Brewer joined him by restoring his own car for a
charity of his choice, and it turned into a bit of a competition to see who could raise the most money.
Anstead said,
"Battle off against Mike Brewer!
Wait, that's three things I love!"
After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, Christina Haack decided she needed to change
her life - so she changed what she eats in a day.
Of course, her then-husband was immensely proud of her, gushing about her on Instagram
— with a Big Mac in hand.
In July 2020, he hilariously captured his time home cooking for her kids while she was
at work, serving a, quote, "French recipe" called Le Big Mac and serving them a side
of French fries and Coke in champagne glasses to wash it all down with.
Judging by her comment to his Instagram post, it seems she doesn't usually allow her kids to have soda.
Whoops!
Christina Haack shares two kids with her first ex-husband Tarek El Moussa - so they have
to make their co-parenting relationship work.
However, even after their divorce, the two also made the decision to continue working
together on their HGTV series, "Flip or Flop."
Anstead was supportive of Christina’s decision to work with her ex, making the situation
less awkward.
He posted on Instagram gushing over Haack, saying,
"She [and Tarek] have tackled this series with an amazing attitude and professionalism.
I'm so incredibly proud of her for rolling up her sleeves and cracking on!"
When Christina Haack first announced her split from Ant Anstead in 2020, fans weren't the
only ones who were completely devastated by their divorce.
Anstead admitted,
"It really hit me hard."
The stress of his divorce took him down 23 pounds, and mentally, he found himself in
a, quote, "very dark place."
By 2020, he said,
"I reached this turning point.
I had the choice to dwell on it, or move on and work on myself."
Anstead opted to sign himself up for a five-week breakup recovery course that helped turn his life around.
He said,
"Not only have I improved my mental health, I've actually made a real conscious decision
to go and improve my physical health, as well."
Today, he successfully co-parents son Hudson with Haack.
Many of Ant Anstead's fans have seen the house he bought in the states with Christina Haack
on "Christina on the Coast."
Yet, when the two decided to split, Anstead put only his clothes in a suitcase and set
out to find somewhere to live.
He decided that the California coast was where he needed to stay.
He told his fans,
"I call California home."
He rented out a small apartment with son Hudson while they searched for a place that they
could call home.
However, the entire living situation ended up being a big life lesson.
He explained to People,
"I've realized how little I need, and what's important.
I don't need anything but Hudson and my health."
In June 2021, Anstead officially purchased a fixer-upper that he appropriately refers
to as "Temple."
However, it seems he'll always secretly miss that little apartment.
He wrote on Instagram,
"I'm gonna look back at this chapter with some amazing loving memories as I am reminded
of the difference between a 'house,' and a 'home."
Though Ant Anstead has officially split from Christina Haack, he's still been busy hanging
out with other HGTV stars.
In May 2021, it was announced that he would be partnering with the Property Brothers for
two brand new shows.
The Scott brothers have brought Anstead along for their "Celebrity IOU" spin-off series
called "Celebrity IOU Joyride."
Instead of watching the brothers renovate homes for celebrities, fans can now catch
Anstead creating personalized cars.
This automotive enthusiast has certainly stayed busy, and it seems as though these series
won't be the last time we see this trio together.
Anstead wrote on Instagram,
"I will now only use the Property Brothers for all future public announcements.”
We can't wait!
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