HGTV's Tarek El Moussa and Selling Sunset [1]'s Heather Rae Young have had quite the year, y'all. After meeting on July 4, 2019 [2], the couple had a whirlwind romance — which included travelling the world, moving in together, and seemingly falling madly in love — before Tarek got down on one knee [3] on July 25, 2020. After ending his relationship with Christina Anstead — his Flip or Flop costar and wife of seven years — Tarek hadn't been sure he'd find love again, but the luxury real estate agent came along and proved him wrong. Check out the gallery for all the major milestones in Heather and Tarek's year-long romance [4].
July 4, 2019: Heather and Tarek Meet
The couple first met on Independence Day 2019 in Newport Beach, CA, after Tarek spotted Heather on a mutual friend's yacht while they were docked side by side. Tarek reflected on the fateful day in an Instagram post [6], writing, "It was the last thing I ever expected but I met the love of my life. The second our eyes connected and we smiled at each other I knew my life would never be the same."
Heather credits Tarek for making the first move, as she revealed in her own Instagram post [7], where she wrote, "Thank you for honking your boat horn at me the day we met, that will forever be the moment that you became my game changer."
July 23, 2019: Heather and Tarek Become "Official"
Heather and Tarek had their second date on July 23, which is when they decided to date exclusively [8]. Five days later, they (inadvertently) went public with their romance (thanks to photos published by TMZ) after they engaged in some PDA [9] on a yacht at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach, CA.
On August 8, the new couple became Instagram official [10], confirming their relationship with joint Instagram posts. That same day, Tarek spoke about his new girlfriend during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, revealing that he'd introduced to Heather to his family [11] — including his mom, dad, stepdad, sister, and two kids, Taylor and Brayden — the night before.
August 14, 2019: Heather and Tarek Give Their First Joint Interview
Just about a week after confirming their relationship status, Heather and Tarek gave their first joint interview [12] to PeopleTV's Reality Check. Of his new romance, Tarek said, "We really focus on having fun and living life and just enjoying each other's company. And going out to dinner, and going boating, and . . . I'm talking too much because I'm excited."
September 5, 2019: Heather and Tarek Make Their Red Carpet Debut
On September 5, the duo walked the red carpet together [13] for the premiere of HGTV's A Very Brady Renovation at The Garland Hotel. "I'm on the best date in the entire world tonight," Tarek gushed to ET. "It's our first red carpet event, so we're really happy to be here." He also confessed that he'd recently introduced Heather and his ex-wife, Christina Anstead, without warning either lady first. "I threw them together in the same room, next thing I knew they were talking about vegan food and running, so it worked out great," he said.
October 31, 2019: Heather and Tarek Take Their First Family Photo
On Halloween [14] 2019, Heather posed with Tarek and his two kids for their first family photo, and that night, the four of them met up with Tarek's ex, Christina [15], and her new husband, Ant Anstead, to go trick-or-treating as a group. "It was a lot of fun — we took the kids out and it was the first time we all got together," Tarek later told People.
February 2020: Heather and Tarek Film Their First Show
Though Tarek isn't able to appear on Selling Sunset [16] because of due to his contract with HGTV, the couple was able to interact in front of the camera while filming an episode of Tarek's latest show for HGTV, Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa. "For the first time ever, @heatherraeyoung and I filmed my new show together!" Tarek announced in a February 5 Instagram post [17]. "We were both excited and nervous but we had a blast!! She was so cute on camera I couldn't stop smiling!"
Heather expressed a similar sentiment to House Beautiful, saying, "I was able to film a whole episode with him on Flipping 101, which was really fun, because that was our first time being on camera together. And we had the best time on camera. We have great chemistry." They finished filming the episode in May [18], and the episode is set to air [19] on September 17, 2020.
April 2020: Heather and Tarek Buy Their First House
Though Heather apparently moved in with Tarek [20] "less than a week" after their first date, the duo bought their first home [21] together in April. In the span of one week, Tarek sold his Costa Mesa home — which he'd been living in since his divorce from Christina — and bought a new house with Heather in Newport Beach.
However, the couple decided that the new home needed some work, so they moved into a rental beach house less than a block from the ocean, where they'll stay until construction is finished. " . . . I'm letting a piece of the past go," Tarek said of the move while chatting with People. "It was a very defining moment in my life after my divorce and now it's time to move on to the next chapter."
July 25, 2020: Heather and Tarek Get Engaged
After just about a year of dating and almost one year to the date after becoming "official," Tarek proposed to Heather with an eight-carat emerald-cut diamond ring, and naturally, she said yes. Tarek told People that he popped the question on July 25 [22] while celebrating their one-year anniversary with a boat trip to Catalina Island, CA. According to Tarek, his now-fiancée hadn't been expecting the big moment.
Both took to Instagram the next day to share the news. "The Future Mrs. Tarek El Moussa!!!!" Heather captioned her Instagram post [23], while Tarek captioned his own Insta post [24], "She said yes!" Congrats to the happy couple!
