A Closer Look: Who Is Elin Nordegren?

The woman Tiger Woods said "acted courageously" after his much-publicized car crash last week, wife Elin Nordegren, has stayed out of the limelight since their 2004 wedding. But that wasn't always the case for Elin, who is a former model.

As the fallout over the crash continues and reports focus on the alleged "other woman" involved, Access Hollywood takes a more detailed look at the 29-year-old wife and mother and how the Swedish beauty caught Tiger's eye.

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"How's married life?" Access Hollywood's Nancy O'Dell asked Tiger in a 2004 interview.

"It's been great, it's been really great," he said just months after tying the knot. "It hasn't changed, my life and her life hasn't changed since we've gotten married, our relationship is still the same."

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Nancy sat down with the newlywed in December 2004, just two months after he exchanged island "I do's" with his wife, Elin. Tiger revealed he knew early on during their two years of dating that marriage was in the cards.

"After a very short time in our relationship, I knew I was going to marry Elin and she was going to be in my life forever," Tiger said.

"When?" Nancy asked.

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"Very early in the relationship," Tiger replied.

The Swedish bombshell, who has an identical twin sister — Josephin, was born in 1980 in the small town of Vaxholm, 50 miles north of Stockholm.

After a brief stint as a swimsuit model in 2000, the aspiring child psychologist was hired by the wife of Swedish profession golfer Jesper Parnevik to be their children's nanny. That career would bring her stateside to the Parnevik's home in Florida.

At 21, while working at the 2001 British open, Elin met her future husband — Tiger. It was a quick introduction that made a lasting impression on him, but when Tiger finally asked her out, she reportedly said no. The reason? According to a source close to the Parneviks, Tiger had a middleman ask Elin out for him and she found it "weird and pathetic."

But apparently Tiger cleaned up his game and in March 2002 they came public with their relationship. And on October 5, 2004, the two were wed in front of 200 guests at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados.

The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Sam Alexis, in June 2007.

The fiercely private mother debuted their little girl during the 2007 PGA Championship.

And on February 8, 2009, son Charlie was born.

While Elin rarely speaks to the media, Tiger revealed she matches him in competitiveness in his interview with Nancy.

"Does she play golf?" Nancy asked.

"She plays, yeah. She's starting to get into it a little bit," he said. "She's very competitive."

"Are you teaching her?" Nancy asked.

"I'm trying to., but that's how most divorces kind of start so… It's better that I stay away, let the instructor handle it," Tiger smiled.

Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
PLAY IT NOW: Tiger Woods: Married Life 'Has Been Great!' (2004)
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