LIFE IS MESSY AND I'M THRIVING

WITH A NEW HIT SHOW AND, YES, A NEW MAN, THE FLIP OFF STAR OPENS UP FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HER FIERY THIRD DIVORCE, HER UNCONVENTIONAL FAMILY AND FINDING PEACE IN THE CHAOS

- By MACKENZIE SCHMIDT Photographs by WE ARE THE RHOADS

Christina Haack is floating in the resort-style pool in her Newport Beach backyard on a September afternoon, the Southern California sun glistening off the ripples made by her inflatable raft, when a sudden movement catches her eye.

A shriek rings out, followed by a mighty splash and the sound of a plastic inner tube slapping the surface. She immediately shifts into mom mode and shouts, "Brayden!" just as her older son flips his little brother Hudson into the water. For a moment the 10 other people surrounding the pool—stylists, photographers, makeup artists— all freeze. After a stern but quiet reprimand and a brief meltdown, the boys are back to showing off their cannonballs, and Haack lets out a breath. "I'm not going to say I have it all together," she admits. "I'm still learning. I'm still a work in progress. And I'm grateful for my mistakes."

Following her divorce in summer 2024 from husband Josh Hall—her third in less than a decade—HGTV's The Flip Off star, 42, is finding her footing again, focusing on her three kids, her hit show and a new champagne business, and leaning on a close-knit support system that, as of late, includes her first and second husbands and one's new wife.

The harmony in the house with her boys Brayden, 10, and Hudson, 6, daughter Taylor, 15, and French bulldog Cash is a much different scene from what played out in the same space just over a year ago, when her marriage to Hall imploded for all to see on HGTV. Plus, a new man has entered the fold: Haack's boyfriend Chris Larocca, 52, a CEO. "I don't look at it as starting over, and especially for the fourth time. That just makes me want to cringe," she says. "It does feel like a fresh start in that for once I'm actually in control of my destiny, and that feels really good."