TV star Christina Haack is setting the record straight on when her relationship with boyfriend Christopher Larocca truly began.

While many believed the couple started dating after being spotted flying out of Los Angeles together in January 2025, Haack recently shared that their love story actually began months earlier.

In a heartfelt Instagram post celebrating their first anniversary, the "Christina on the Coast" star revealed the real timeline.

"Our first photo together, over a year ago," Haack, 42, wrote on October 6 alongside a selfie of her and Larocca, ENews reported. "Thank you Chris for always dating me and spoiling me and showing me true respect."

The post confirmed that the couple began dating in October 2024, just four months after Haack split from her now ex-husband Josh Hall.

Their romance started quietly, away from the spotlight, after a chance meeting at a Mexican restaurant in Newport Beach.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for walking into my life in that random Mexican restaurant in Newport," she added.

"It's been a year of learning and growing and communicating and defending and sometimes fighting but always making up."

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The relationship first drew attention when the two were photographed at the airport in early 2025.

The photos sparked questions about when the romance had started. Both Haack and Larocca later spoke about how unexpected the attention was.

"I had paparazzi calling me," Larocca, 52, said during a March interview on Radio Andy. "I had reporters calling me. I had a lot of things going on that day."

Haack explained in that same interview that she felt their relationship had been "outed" before they were ready. Still, they didn't let the sudden spotlight affect their bond.

In a People magazine interview, Haack shared more details about how they met. "We met the old-fashioned way," she said.

"I was with a girlfriend, and he was with friends. One of his friends came over and made us laugh. Chris was different—easy to talk to, not like other people I had met in Newport."

Their connection deepened during a trip to Italy in the fall of 2024. "We went to Paris too," Haack recalled. "That's when we really got to know each other and really bonded."

Despite their strong relationship, Haack says they're not rushing anything. "We're not discussing getting married or having children," she told PEOPLE. "We're taking things slow. No timeline. We're both happy."

The HGTV star was previously married to Tarek El Moussa, Ant Anstead, and most recently, Josh Hall. Her divorce from Hall was finalized in August 2025.