Being a gorgeous model who's married to one of the most successful athletes of all time
isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Just ask Elin Nordegren. Imagine how it would feel to have the worst period in your life
examined and dissected by nearly every publication in existence. Not only having your world turned upside down by an unfaithful partner
but trying to shield your children from the barrage of press and paparazzi chomping at the bit
to get another scoop for one of the most scandalous stories of the century
the story of your life and how it all fell apart. Before she became widely known as the wife of golfer Tiger Woods
much of Elin Nordegren's childhood was spent in Sweden, though she also spent some of her time with her father in Germany after her parents split when she was seven
Nordegren learned quite a bit from her parents' divorce, later telling People magazine
Despite the split, I feel like the base was still there. My mom showed me that it is possible to be on your own, be a mother, and still pursue your career
Using what she learned from her parents' divorce, Nordegren wanted to set a good example for her children after her own marriage fell apart
I am now going to do my very best to show them that alone and happy is better than being in a
relationship where there is no trust. I want to show my kids what my parents showed me as a child
But before the heartbreak, there was at least a brief period of happiness. Nordegren and Woods wed in 2004 in Barbados among athletes and celebrities
an event which reportedly cost $1.5 million. Unfortunately, a few years into their marriage
Woods stepped out by having affairs with multiple women. His transgressions were somewhat of an open
secret, and the National Enquirer was allegedly prepared to print a story exposing Woods' affairs
in 2007, which Woods' team managed to squash. But apparently, no one happened to tell Nordegren
who later shared that she was unaware of the cheating until 2009 She told people so embarrassed that I never suspected Not a one For the last three and a half years when all this was going on I was home a lot more with pregnancies than the children and my school
The public first caught wind of trouble after Woods suffered a single car accident on Thanksgiving
night that year. Rumors swirled about the events of that evening, including one claiming that
Nordegren chased Woods out of their house with a golf club and caused him physical harm. Nordegren
later denied that allegation. Days later, it became public knowledge that Woods had been cheating on
his wife with multiple women. And days after that, Woods released a public statement apologizing to
his family for his sins. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live
by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. In 2010, the couple divorced
Nordegren had lots of emotions to process after learning of her husband's infidelity
telling people, I've been through hell. It's hard to think you have this life, and then all of a sudden, was it a lie? You're struggling because it wasn't real
but I survived. It was hard, but it didn't kill me." Despite all they went through at the end of
their marriage, Woods and Nordegren have managed to put their past aside in order to be effective
co-parents. In an interview with People in 2014, Nordegren said of Woods
"...I have moved on, and I am in a good place. Our relationship is centered around our children
and we are doing really good. We really are. He is a great father." Still, Woods' personal life
continues to affect Nordegren. In 2021, he got into another single-car accident in California
with the injuries requiring emergency surgery. Woods had to undergo intense rehabilitation
therapy to even walk again, let alone golf, further highlighting how serious the accident was
According to reports, Nordegren was there for Woods after his crash, with one source telling
People, she's been incredible since the crash. She has bent over backward to make sure that he
can see the kids while he recovers from his injuries