Christina Haack Has Been Secretly Dating New Boyfriend for Months: 'I Felt Immediately Protective'
Christina Haack/Instagram Christina Haack, Joshua Hall
Christina Haack is opening up about her relationship with her new boyfriend Joshua Hall — and revealed that they've been getting to know each other out of the public eye for several months.
The Christina on the Coast star, who turns 38 on Friday, took to Instagram on Thursday afternoon to share a lengthy post alongside a photo with Hall, explaining to her followers how their blossoming romance came to be — and how she's been trying to protect it.
"I met Josh when I wasn't in a state of fear or fight-or-flight," the HGTV star, whose divorce from Ant Anstead was finalized in late June, began the post, noting that she took time off social media and began working on herself spiritually at the end of last year.
"When we met this past spring, the synchronicities hit us so hard and fast they were impossible to ignore," she continued. "I felt immediately crazy protective over him and wanted to keep him for myself and get to know each other before the tornado (media attention) hit."
RELATED: Christina Haack Shares First Photos of New Flame Joshua Hall from 'Romantic Dinner' on Vacation
She noted that she and Hall have had "a few solid months" of getting to know each other one-on-one without the world knowing, and that she "loved every second of it."
The pair's relationship became public after they were photographed together at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday as they boarded a flight for a tropical vacation for Haack's birthday. "When I saw a camera behind us at the airport my heart started beating out of my chest and my hands shaking - And not for me but for him," she explained in the post.
She also expressed her concerns over Hall's private life and "the price of fame." He works in real estate, not TV, like Anstead or her first husband and current Flip or Flop co-star, Tarek El Moussa.
Still, he's not a total stranger to the spotlight as his two younger sisters — Jessica Hall and Stacie Adams — have both had a taste of it.
Adams had a role on The Hills, where she was known as "Stacie the Bartender," while Jessica, a former Playboy model, has appeared alongside her friend Kendra Wilkinson on Kendra and Kendra on Top as well as various other TV shows.
Despite the sudden attention on their formerly private relationship, Haack says that she and Hall are finding their ground and living life on their own terms, and are currently enjoying their time on vacation.
Christina Haack/instagram
RELATED: Christina Haack and New Love Interest Joshua Hall Leave L.A. for Tropical Birthday Getaway
She also spoke directly to her those who might criticize her, writing, "I may be a bit crazy and I'm definitely not perfect but I will never live my life based on other people's judgments or opinions. We pride ourselves on never judging others and always wanting others to be happy and we wish others would have the same respect."
She closed out the post with a jab at those who suggest she moved on too quickly: "So yes 'another relationship' and guess what. I'm 38 - I'll do what I want."
RELATED VIDEO: Ant Anstead Says He 'Walked Away Completely' from Family Home With Christina Haack After Split
PEOPLE broke the news that the Christina on the Coast star was dating someone new in the wake of her divorce from Anstead on Tuesday, with a source sharing, "They recently started dating each other and it was an immediate, real connection. They've enjoyed getting to know each other one-on-one without outside noise."
News of Haack's new beau came less than two weeks after PEOPLE confirmed that Anstead — whom she split from in September after less than two years of marriage — is dating Renée Zellweger.
Vera Anderson/Wireimage; Michael Kovac/getty Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead
Anstead, 42, and the two-time Academy Award winner, 52, quickly hit it off after working together on the set of his upcoming Discovery+ series Celebrity IOU: Joyride, in which she appears, in early June.
On June 21, PEOPLE confirmed that Haack and Anstead had finalized their divorce. The pair share son Hudson, 21 months, and have been granted joint legal and physical custody of him.
Haack also shares daughter Taylor, 10, and son Brayden, 5, with El Moussa, while Ant has daughter Amelie, 17, and son Archie, 14, with his first wife, Louise.
