'Flip or Flop' Stars Split After Explosive Fight 
 
 'Flip or Flop' Stars Split After Explosive Fight 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 "Flip or Flop" stars Tarek and Christina El Moussa portray the chipper, nearly perfect all-American couple on TV but we've learned they're now separated ...after a scary incident involving guns and a feared suicide attempt. 
 
 Their ordeal started, at least publicly, in May when deputies responded to "a call of a possibly suicidal male with a gun" at the couple's Orange County home. According to law enforcement, a massive presence showed up -- 11 deputies and a helicopter. 
 
 Witnesses told cops they saw Tarek grab a gun from his safe, run out the back door and flee down a hiking trail. Shortly after, Christina was seen running out of the house crying and shaking. 
 
 Within minutes, the helicopter spotted Tarek on a trail and deputies told him to drop his weapon. Tarek complied and told deputies he had no intention of hurting himself. He said he wanted to "blow off some steam," and only brought the gun for mountain lions and rattlesnakes. 
 
 Deputies went back to the house and ended up seizing 5 guns, including an AR-15. 
 
 Christina and Tarek tell us they decided to separate while they reevaluate their marriage. As far as the incident goes ... they'll only say it was an "unfortunate misunderstanding." 
 
 They add ... they're committed to co-parenting, and ... "will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together." 
 
 
 
 ||||| HGTV’s Flip or Flop stars Tarek and Christina El Moussa have called it quits after seven years of marriage. 
 
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 The couple announced their separation in a statement to PEOPLE, noting an altercation that prompted police to visit their California home. 
 
 “Like many couples, we have had challenges in our marriage,” the pair said in the statement. “We had an unfortunate misunderstanding about six months ago and the police were called to our house in an abundance of caution. There was no violence and no charges were filed.” 
 
 The El Moussas said they sought counseling to “sort out” the relationship but have since decided to separate while evaluating “the future of our marriage.” 
 
 RELATED VIDEO: People Editors Share Details About Tarek & Christina El Moussa’s Secret Split 
 
 “During the process, we are committed to our kids and being the best parents we can be,” they said in the statement. “We will continue to work through this process civilly and cooperatively, and plan to continue our professional life together.” 
 
 Police responded to the couple’s Orange County home in May after receiving a “call of a possibly suicidal male with a gun,” according to TMZ. Tarek allegedly ran from the home with a firearm, only dropping the weapon when a helicopter spotted him and officers commanded him to do so. 
 
 He allegedly told officers he did not intend to harm himself, but wanted to “blow off some steam.” 
 
 The couple wed in 2009 have two children: Brayden, 1, and a 6-year-old daughter Taylor.
– The show will apparently go on, but the marriage won't: Tarek and Christina El Moussa of HGTV's Flip or Flop have separated after seven years of marriage, reports People. Trouble in the marriage first surfaced in May when police responded to a call about "a possibly suicidal male with a gun" at their Orange County, Calif., home. According to police and witnesses, Tarek took off down a hiking trail with a gun, though he surrendered without issue, telling authorities he only planned to use the gun against mountain lions and rattlesnakes, reports TMZ. In a statement, the couple describes the incident as an "unfortunate misunderstanding" after which they sought counseling, noting "there was no violence and no charges were filed." At the time, authorities seized five guns from the home. The couple says they've now decided to separate while reconsidering their marriage. However, "(we) plan to continue our professional life together," they add. (Flip or Flop once saved Tarek's life.)