Elin Nordegren: The Tragic Story Of Tiger Woods' Ex-Wife

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 Gisele Bündchen or Tiger Woods' stunning ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. Nordegren's life in the spotlight began in 2000 when she graced the cover of Café Sport, a Swedish magazine. Soon after, the model met Woods, a golf icon still at the beginning of his prolific career but a massive celebrity nonetheless. 

Nordegren's life changed quickly when she entered a relationship with Woods, and she went from a relatively unknown model and nanny to the envy of Woods' fans. From the outside, their relationship seemed ideal. But years into their marriage, Woods and Nordegren's life imploded. What appeared to be perfection for Nordegren was downright horrific, and things only got worse as the public became aware of all the details. Take a closer look at the tragic story of Tiger Woods' ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. 

Elin Nordegren's upbringing was not unlike her children's. When Nordegren was 7 years old, her parents divorced. While much of Nordegren's childhood was spent in Sweden, the model spent some of her time with her father in Germany after her parents split. Nordegren learned quite a bit from her parents' divorce. "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," Nordegren told People.

Nordegren has also used what she learned from her parents after their divorce to inform her own parenting decisions. After her divorce, the model wanted to set a good example for her children. "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," Nordegren said shortly after splitting from Tiger Woods. After their divorce, Woods' ex started dating again, meeting and having more children with her partner, Jordan Cameron.

After Elin Nordegren began her relationship with Tiger Woods, the model was regularly spotted at golf events. While most were unremarkable (aside from Woods' unbelievable golf feats on the course), one competition resulted in a worrisome moment for Nordegren. In 2003, at an Orlando, Florida golf course, Nordegren collapsed and was hospitalized for dehydration. "She had food poisoning, and that made her dehydrated," Woods said of his then-girlfriend, per ESPN.

"With food poisoning, and then walking 18 holes yesterday and getting dehydrated, it was hard for her to keep anything down. I told her she should just stay home today, but she's stubborn," the golfer added. As other outlets reported, Nordegren had to spend the night in the hospital following her dehydration collapse. However, the model seemingly made a full recovery as the story disappeared afterward. Unfortunately, though, Woods also suffered from food poisoning, and the golfer vomited multiple times while playing. Amazingly, Woods still won the invitational.

Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods' marriage started about as glamorously as any marriage could. The two wed in 2004 in Barbados among athletes and celebrities, an event which reportedly cost $1.5 million (par for the course considering the lavish life that Tiger Woods lives). Unfortunately, it didn't take long before things went south. A few years into their marriage, Woods stepped out, 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. As Nordegren later shared, she was unaware of the cheating until 2009. "I'm so embarrassed that I never suspected — not a one. For the last 3 1/2 years, when all this was going on, I was home a lot more with pregnancies, then the children and my school," Nordegren told People in an interview around the time of her divorce.

Nordegren had lots of emotions to process after learning of her husband's infidelity. "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," the model said of the demise of her marriage.

Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods' relationship blew up publicly over Thanksgiving weekend in 2009. The public first caught wind of trouble after Woods suffered a single-car accident on Thanksgiving night. 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. 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. In 2010, the couple divorced.

Misinformation about the demise of Woods and Nordegren's relationship only continued to circulate, deeply hurting Nordegren. The model was especially upset by the rumor that she had beat Woods with a golf club. "This was one of the things I had the hardest time with people thinking. There was never any violence inside or outside our home. The speculation that I would have used a golf club to hit him is just truly ridiculous," Nordegren said in an interview with People in the year following the crash. "I pretty much followed — and am following — the stages of grief that I have learned in my psychology studies: shock, bargaining, anger, depression — and I am still working on the last stage, forgiveness and/or acceptance," said Nordegren on life since her divorce from Woods.

Despite all they went through at the end of their marriage, Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren have a good co-parenting relationship today. And that change happened relatively quickly after their divorce. 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." Woods and Nordegren's children have spent time with both parents as they've grown up, and the two are now close friends.

While a close relationship between the exes is positive for their children, it did make Woods' life-threatening event in 2021 tragic for Nordegren, too. That year, Woods 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. "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," one source told People.