Some good news for the El Moussa family, after a year that’s seen more than a little bit of tumult for the reality-TV family.
“Flip or Flop” star Tarek El Moussa took to Instagram late Wednesday to deliver the encouraging news that his stepfather is now free of cancer.
“CANCER FREE!!!! As many of you know my step father battled the same cancer I did … and now, after a few rounds of chemo, he is cancer free and in remission!!” the HGTV star wrote, in a post that included a photo of his stepfather playing in the water with El Moussa’s children, Brayden and Taylor.
“He’s gaining weight… getting his hair back… and back to his old self. Cancer is so scary and the best thing a cancer survivor can hear is in remission!!!! The grandkids love him so much.”
Cancer has played a distressingly prominent role in El Moussa’s life. The “Flip or Flop” star has in the past suffered from both thyroid cancer and testicular cancer, though in January the reality TV star shared with fans that he himself was still cancer-free after receiving treatment.
Earlier this month, the ugly specter of cancer popped up once again, with El Moussa telling fans that “Flip or Flop” contractor Frank “The Tank” is battling inoperable cancer.
El Moussa and his estranged wife Christina, who rose to fame as the stars of the HGTV series “Flip or Flop,” gained further attention when they announced their split on Dec. 12, saying their decision to end their relationship largely stemmed from a domestic incident in May 2016 that involved a gun and resulted in Orange County police getting involved.
The O.C. Sheriff’s Dept. told TheWrap that Christina El Moussa was “crying and shaking” during the incident, while her husband was seen by witnesses to “run out of his back door, jump over his fence and walk northbound into the hiking trails of the Chino Hills State Park.”
Tarek El Moussa filed for divorce in January.
Though the couple’s marriage is en route to the dustbin of history, the El Moussas’ working relationship remains on track. In April, HGTV announced that “Flip or Flop” will be supersized to 20 episodes for its next season, which will premiere in December.