In the wake of Elin Nordegren’s alleged pregnancy, many are curious about her backstory, specifically where she hails from.
Nordergren became a public figure during her marriage to gold icon Tiger Woods. Her marriage to Woods notoriously went down in flames after his infidelity was discovered, leading to several public embarrassments for the couple.
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Nordegren was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1980, making her five years younger than Woods. She is the daughter of politician Barbro Holmberg and radio journalist Thomas Nordegren. Nordegren’s father worked as a bureau chief in Washington, D.C. as well, which helped lead the model to the U.S.
Nordegren began modeling in 2000 with an appearance on Cafรฉ magazine that summer. At the same time, she took a job as a nanny for a wealthy family in the U.S., who introduced her to Woods at the 2001 Open Championship. She and Woods married in 2004, then had a daughter in 2007 and a son in 2009.
Things began to fall apart for the couple soon after that. In 2009, it came to light that Woods had been cheating on his wife, and he stepped away from golf to “work on his marriage.” Ultimately, the two divorced the following summer, and Woods paid Nordegren $100 million in the settlement.
Nordegren finally opened up about the split and her struggles afterward in a 2014 interview with PEOPLE. She admitted that she was leaning on “intensive therapy” to process the ordeal.
“In the beginning, you tamp down the animosity for the kids’ sake,” Nordegren told the magazine. “I’m not going to deny that I went through the wringer. But I don’t think I doubted we’d end up here. That was always my dream, that the kids can have two loving parents that show respect for each other. And I feel that’s what they have.”
Nordegren persevered, earning a college degree in 2014 as well. She attended night classes at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, majoring in psychology. She told the local Orlando Sentinel that she enjoyed her studies, even if they weren’t a typical college experience.
“I want to continue to study and learn, but I am not exactly sure how yet. My passion has always been psychology, but my interests continue to broaden,” she said. “I was always a little too old for the frat parties.”
In spite of their messy split, Nordegren is reportedly still very close with Woods. However, she stays away from the public eye when she can.
It was reported on Wednesday that Nordegren was expecting her third child, but there has been no word who is the father of the upcoming baby.
