*Tiger Woods’ ex-wife Elin Nordegren said she has “been through hell” since her husband’s cheating scandal surfaced but she never hit him, according to an exclusive People magazine interview released Wednesday.
Nordegren said she and Woods spent months trying to reconcile the relationship, but in the end, a marriage “without trust and love” wasn’t good for anyone. The couple’s divorce became final on Monday.
The former model and nanny spoke about Tiger’s Thanksgiving night car crash outside their Florida home, when Woods drove his SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree just days after the National Enquirer had revealed the first of many women who claimed to have dated Tiger during his marriage.
The account of Elin smashing out the back window of the SUV with a golf club to try and free Tiger was met with widespread doubt, with late night comedians and “Saturday Night Live” joking that Nordegren’s golf swing was really aimed at Tiger for the affairs.
Nordegren told People that she never hit Woods on the night of the car crash, nor any other time.
“There was never any violence inside or outside our home,” she said. “The speculation that I would have used a golf club to hit him is just truly ridiculous.”
Nordegren said Woods left the house that night and when he didn’t return after a while, she got worried and went to look for him. She said that’s when she found him in the car.
“I did everything I could to get him out of the locked car,” she said. “To think anything else is absolutely wrong.”
People said the interview was conducted over four visits lasting a total of 19 hours at the rented Windermere, Fla., home where she now lives with their two children.
Tiger Woods' damaged vehicle after Thanksgiving crash
“I’ve been through hell,” she said. “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.”
In an interview on NBC’s “Today” show on Wednesday morning, People magazine reporter Sandra Sobieraj Westfall said Nordegren and her team approached the magazine. Westfall said Nordegren wanted people to know three things: she’s not violent and never hit Woods; she had no idea this was going on; and it was a real marriage for her. [Watch Westfall's "Today" interview below.]
Nordegren and Woods were married Oct. 5, 2004, in Barbados and have a 3-year-old daughter, Sam, and an 18-month-old son, Charlie.
In the interview, Nordegren would not disclose the amount of the divorce settlement but did say “money can’t buy happiness or put my family back together.”
“I’m so embarrassed that I never suspected — not a one. For the past 3 1/2 years, when all this was going on, I was home a lot more with pregnancies, then the children and my school.”
Woods, who is playing in golf tournament in New Jersey this week, has not yet commented on the couple’s divorce.
Nordegren said she would eventually come to forgive Woods but that she is still working on it.
“Forgiveness takes time,” she said. “It is the last step of the grieving process.”
In the meantime, the Swedish-born Nordegren said she is excited to start the next chapter of her life and intends to stay in the U.S. with her children.
She also said she’s “not watched one minute of golf.”
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Okay, but WHY WAS TIGER BAREFOOT when found in the Escalade???
I thought there was a no interview clause where neither would discuss any of the scandal that ended their marriage. Well I guess the deal is over huh? I knew she would talk eventually. i wonder if she was PAID! for the interview? I certainly hope she was not, in my opinion she was paid more than enough already. I hope this is the first and last interview she gives on this oversaturated story.
She’s never been one to talk to the press, and she is one to stay out of the limelight. I doubt if she does anymore interviews. As was said on the Fantasia threads, she probably did this interview to get her side of the story out, so if asked about the scandal again she can refer to this interview and not have to address this issue anymore. No matter the amount of money she got paid, for the interview or otherwise, she deserves it IMO. I’m not mad at her for taking ANY of Tigger’s loot. That’s what his fool azz gets for acting a fool. He is the one who mucked up their marriage, not her. There is no one to blame but him.
ditto………….Melody, forget what color the man is, you just mad YOU ain’t getting his money, ’cause you know the only color that matters here and now is GREEN
Far from it. Blacks have never been on Tiger’s radar and I’d be the last one to look to him for anything. Earl trained his cub well well.
Well now she can take Tiger’s millions and lavish it on a white man cause she’ll never touch anything remotely near a cablanasian again in life. I would love it if she had another child.
I just dont feel bad for the ex nanny woman who married Tiger Woods. She hung around rich men- she was a golf groupie!
Yep, she accomplished her goal like Monica Blewinsky coming to Washington for her presidential knee pads.
Perhaps her story to People was pre-approved. Everyone has lied that she didn’t strike Tiger but I could care less that she did.
She didn’t really divulge any details of what REALLY happened other than her comments on the golf club she used and she didn’t have a clue about the infidelities. She merely expressed her feelings and stated her intentions for moving forward. Very surface level information. Now she probably won’t say anything else about it and if I were her I wouldn’t either. All things considered, she handled the whole situation pretty well overall. I hope Tiger learns from this and if he wanna gang of blonde/brunette hoes, he should do that, BUT stay single while doing it…… I wish them both the best and their children as they all move forward.
My two cents on the entire situation, Tiger is a sex addict, Ellen is a golf groupie slash goldigger so they both found each other. Tiger’s circle got sloppy, he got busted, even though 100 million is steep for a ex nanny his dumb azz deserves to be taken out like that. Not that he will even miss that money. Feel sorry for the kids, the internet is forever so there is nothing he can ever say about this. Reminds me of a guy I used to work with he was boning woman all over the midwest and a woman blogged about him.
>leonard, for the most part I agree with you. I’ve never felt that sorry for Elin because there is just no way any man can do that much whoring around and she not know about it early on or at least hear rumors. I believe she knew about his ways before they got married and
1. Felt that he would change after they married or
2. Chose to look the other way, until he appeared to be getting a little too close to one of the jump-offs or
3. Initially thought she could look the other way, but realize it was just more than she could take.
Bitch just take your undeserved money & property & shut the fuck up!!! From a glorified babysitter to a mega-multi millionairess she shouldn’t have shit to say other than “I’m rich byotch!!” This story has ran it’s course & for her to want to milk it for whatever she can now seems to be more over-kill & useless. Everybody feels sorry for you Elin….oh boo-hoo!
Brothas again, please take note. You call us blac women golddiggers well, this is exactly what happens when you disrespect the whyte woman. You don’t have to worry about a hanging anymore, lolol…just being broke.. And Elin says she’s been through Hell. Well I would guess so when you are a planned golddigger, having to tolerate someone you never liked in the first place, having kids you were not ready for and to face the reality that he is the guy you heard he was.
“Learn the past, watch the present, and create the future.” – Jesse Conrad