When Elin Nordegren married Tiger Woods at just 24-years-old in 2004, it’s likely she never expected to divorce him only six years into their marriage. However, with the whole world hearing a leaked voicemail that her husband, the world’s most famous golf player, left a club hostess, the marriage had been irrevocably damaged. The two finalized their divorce in August of 2010, and just like that, Elin became a divorced single mother to kids Charlie and Sam.
Elin wasn’t the type of woman to let a divorce keep her from getting back on her feet again. And, with the $100 million settlement she received from her ex, she was going to be comfortable doing it too. However, Elin emphasized in her 2014 People interview that while money might make things easier, it “does not make you happy” – a sentiment that many will find hard to argue with. The Swedish-native is so much more than just Tiger Woods’ ex-wife. Let’s take a look at the stunning transformation of Elin Nordegren spanning over more than a decade after her divorce from the most famous golf player of our time.
Elin sought therapy after the divorce
Being the wise and independent woman Elin Nordegren is, she knew to prioritize her mental health and wasn’t shy about seeking help when she needed it most. In a 2014 interview with People, she shared she had sought out counseling in 2010 after being chased by the paparazzi following the public announcement of her divorce.
As someone who was pursuing a psychology degree herself, Nordegren was aware how divorce — let alone a very public one — could take a serious mental toll on her well-being if she kept everything to herself. “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,” she previously told PEOPLE in 2010. “As anyone who has gone through a divorce knows, it is never easy. Every day is a little easier than the one before, but I still have a lot of healing to do.”
Nordegren added that while she was grateful for her family’s support, she still prioritized working on herself. she said. “It is important to have your friends’ and family’s support, but I also think it is very important to have objective help from a professional therapist if possible.” Several years later, that choice paid off, with Nordegren proudly admitting to People in 2014 that she was still continuing her weekly therapy sessions.”I have moved on, and I am in a good place,” she told the outlet.
Despite the messy breakup, she chose to remain friends with her ex
Even though her breakup from Tiger Woods was one of the most high-profile celebrity splits of the early 2010s, Elin Nordegren has only ever given two interviews about her divorce. She first spoke with People in 2010 in the immediate aftermath of the separation and explained she had gone through all of the stages of “grief over the loss of family I so badly wanted for my children.”
Nordegren elaborated that this drive came from being a child of divorce herself. Her parents split when she was just seven-years-old. However, they made an effort for her to see both of them. Nordegren noted that this was why she found being able to co-parent with Tiger Woods so important. “I will always have a working parenting relationship with Tiger,” she told People. She added that she felt no regrets about their relationship. She even said she felt “privileged to have witnessed a part of [Tiger’s] golfing career” as she praised him on being an amazing dad and how he’d go on to be “the best golfer that has ever lived.”
Elin chose to focus on her kids and prioritized a peaceful co-parenting relationship. The two exes even became good friends. Even years after their divorce in 2014, the two were living only a 25-minute drive away from one another. The two even remained friendly enough that years later, in 2015, the pro-golfer told Time that his Nordegren was “one of [his] best friends” who he shared everything with.
