Two Day Magazine

Elin Nordergren broke her silence to People magazine this week, in an interview that is said to be the one and only she will do. They sat down over four days and 19 hours’ worth of talks at the rented Windermere Florida home where she lives with their two children. This was going to be good.

“I’ve been through hell,” the Swedish-born beauty tells People. “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. I’m so embarrassed that I never suspected--not a one. For the past 3 1/2 years, when all of this was going on, I was home a lot more with pregnancies, then the children and my school.”

A lot of people may roll their eyes at this. How could she not know? But, I could see how this would happen. There they are, miles apart. He’s off playing golf and meeting women at every event while she is at home taking care of their children. The lack of connectedness would naturally drive a wedge between the two, and his lifestyle is so mobile and indulgent, it would be easy to see how they got off track.

She trusted him. They were young and in love when they met. She probably didn’t want to travel all year round, and with small children, it seemed nearly impossible. Her biggest mistake was assuming he was going to be faithful. Although, if you were a happy, young newly wed, wouldn’t you assume the same?

Nordegren, 30, met Woods in 2001 at the British Open at Royal Lytham in England when she was only 21. She was working as an au pair to Jesper Parnevik, a Swedish golfer. After two years of dating, Woods (27 at the time) proposed to Elin (23) on November 25, 2003 in the South African Shamwari Game Reserve while they were on a romantic sunset walk. They married on October 5, 2004 in Barbados.

Tiger told People magazine in 2006, “My wife, we’re in it together. We’re a team, and we do things as a team. And I care about her with all my heart.”

Clearly, you can care about someone with all your heart, but when you let other body parts do the thinking for you, everything can turn into a big mess. Nordegren has been praised for her maintaining her privacy during this whole ordeal, and disclosed that she suffered from hair loss and weight loss from all of the stress before the divorce. She was just trying to protect her children.

“For my kids, I felt that (maintaining privacy) was the only normalcy I could give them, since they have a very famous dad.”

People estimates her settlement to be around $100 million dollars, but she wishes that it hadn’t come to this. Money wasn’t worth splitting up her family.

“Money can’t buy me happiness or put my family back together.”

Elin goes on to say, “I felt stupid as more was revealed--how could I have not known anything? The word ‘betrayal’ isn’t strong enough. I felt like my whole life had fallen apart.”

After she did find out what Tiger had been up to, did she really go after him with a golf club as so many reported? Nordegren approached People magazine to tell her side of the story and set the record straight.

“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.”

She and Woods attempted to reconcile for “months and months”, but “without trust and love” it wasn’t going to work.

“Forgiveness takes time,” she said.