Heather Rae El Moussa (née Young) and Tarek El Moussa have a perfectly balanced, swoon-worthy relationship compensating for the latter’s failed marriage with Christina El Moussa. The Flip or Flop star was devastated in 2018 when he realized Christina had moved on with Ant Anstead. Having dealt with the mental health struggles that ruined his first marriage, fate handed him another chance at love with Heather, whom he wedded at Montecito’s Rosewood Miramar Beach Hotel in 2021. The couple started a new chapter in February 2023 when they welcomed their son Tristan Jay El Moussa.
Since Heather Rae El Moussa’s marriage to Tarek El Moussa, she has become a popular feature on HGTV shows. She debuted on Flipping 101 in 2020 and has appeared alongside her husband in other shows of the Flip or Flop franchise, including Tarek’s Flip Side and The Flipping El Moussas. Be that as it may, Heather’s TV career didn’t begin with Tarek. She stars in Netflix’s Selling Sunset and has been a television personality since 2008. From her career to her personal life, the following are lesser-known facts about Tarek El Moussa’s second wife, Heather Rae El Moussa.
1. Heather Rae El Moussa Was Born And Raised In Anaheim, California
Like the HGTV host born and raised in Long Beach, California, Heather Rae El Moussa is also from the Golden State. Born on September 16, 1987, in Anaheim, California, Heather lived in Running Springs, a mountain community in San Bernardino County, until she turned 18. Before venturing into a career in showbiz, Heather worked as a waitress at a local pizza restaurant. She also worked as a clerk at a video store and with Snow Valley Mountain Resort in Running Springs as a ticketing officer. Roughly two years after she left home at age 18, Heather came across the opportunity to kickstart her career in show business.
2. She First Gained Mainstream Recognition As A Playboy Model
Heather Rae El Moussa’s career journey began in June 2008 when she attended a Playboy casting call. This also marked her television debut as she appeared in Playboy’s TV special, Casting Call: Playboy Mansion (2008). After Heather was called back for a test photo shoot, she was featured on the Playboy Cyberclub website in August 2009. Heather gained more mainstream popularity in February 2010 when she emerged as the Playboy Playmate of the Month. She then modeled for various brands, establishing herself as a highly-sought glamor, swimsuit, and commercial model.
3. Heather Rae El Moussa Is An Actress and A Real Estate Agent
Beyond being a TV personality and a model, Tarek El Moussa’s wife is also an actress. Heather Rae El Moussa made her acting debut in 2010 as Tina in “The Baby” episode of Fox’s ‘Til Death. She appeared in her first film the following year, playing a secretary in the “Wadzilla” segment of Chillerama — a four-part horror comedy anthology directed by Adam Rifkin, Tim Sullivan, Adam Green, and Joe Lynch. She has consolidated her acting career with performances in 2012’s Kim, Christmas in Compton, and 2013’s The Internship.
Heather Rae El Moussa recently played Jessica in Scott Slone’s 2023 horror thriller Malibu Horror Story. Away from acting, she is a real estate agent. Heather works with The Oppenheim Group, a real estate brokerage based in California. Her profile on the company’s website says she specializes “in high profile and high net-worth clientele, including many celebrities, athletes, and musicians.”
4. She Is Also A Licensed Esthetician And A Former Pilates Instructor
Tarek El Moussa’s wife is passionate about fitness, beauty, and wellness. While she’s now invested in her television career, the Selling Sunset star was once a pilates instructor. In a July 2020 Instagram post, Heather Rae El Moussa described being a pilates instructor as a fun moment in her life. “Not sure you guys know this about me, but I used to be a reformer Pilates instructor! It was such a fun time of my life as fitness and health are passions of mine,” wrote the model.
Similarly, Heather Rae El Moussa disclosed that she is a licensed esthetician. “…I have my esthetician license and have been skincare OBSESSED since I was 13…,” she shared in an August 2023 Facebook post. “I started doing things like cleansing and wearing sunscreen super early on in my life… Skincare is a ritual that I’ve always taken so seriously because if I had it my way, I’d be makeup-free 99% of the time,” added the actress.
5. Heather Rae El Moussa Met Terek El Moussa On a Boat Cruise In 2019
When Heather Rae El Moussa met Terek El Moussa, she was in a relationship with Nick Ebert, a professional hockey player based abroad. Theirs was a challenging, long-distance relationship that left room for Terek to win Heather’s heart. The couple met in Newport Beach, California, on Independence Day of 2019. Heather described Tarek as her soulmate while recalling how fate brought them together during their third anniversary.
“…We were both on separate boats in Newport; I was with some of my close friends, and he was with his,” Heather wrote on Instagram. “…I randomly, by chance, ended up jumping onto Tarek’s boat… Little did we know that moment would change both of our lives forever.” While this was their first meeting, it wasn’t their first encounter. Terek had slid into Heather’s DMs to ask her out just before she filmed the pilot for Selling Sunset.
He asked her out again after their chance encounter in Newport Beach, forgetting he had previously done so. When Heather reminded him, he persisted, asking for a first date in Paris. She obliged, and it marked the beginning of their relationship. They went public in August 2019 and got engaged a year into the relationship. On October 23, 2021, Heather Rae El Moussa and Terek El Moussa exchanged marital vows. Check out 5 surprising things you didn’t know about Christina Anstead, Terek El Moussa’s first wife.