@spendius,
Quote:I would go so far as saying that love is well nigh impossible for the rich and famous
I don't know about that, although I do think that one partner being rich and famous may certainly put unique stresses on a marriage. And I think that is particularly the case when it comes to extremely overpaid professional male athletes. These men, who earn fantastic sums, and who generally travel a lot, are constantly surrounded by women who throw themselves at them. The more immature or self indulgent men are likely to get involved in multiple casual liaisons, and, if these men happen to be married, the results, as in Tiger Wood's case, and be scandalous and destructive.
Woods may simply have been doing what a lot of other male professional athletes also do, but he did it with a degree of recklessness that was almost self destructive. He chose women who were likely to expose him, and he gave them the ammunition to do it. He left voice mails that could be saved, sent text messages that could be saved and sold to tabloids, and he was juggling a huge number of bimbos, foolishly assuring each of them that they were the "only one". It was a situation that was bound to blow up and become public at some point. It was a time bomb waiting to happen.
For a man who carefully constructed a family image, and ostensibly guarded his privacy, his recklessness in liaisons was truly stunning. Either he genuinely believed he was untouchable, or could buy his way out of anything, or he is one self deluded jerk--and likely those things are all true.
Elin apparently wanted to feel she had a solid marriage to a man who was capable of commitment to her. I can believe that she loved and trusted him. The bimbos he was bedding also believed and trusted him when he told them there were no others. In fact, two of them have hired attorney Gloria Allred, and have demanded public apologies from Tiger for being unfaithful to them. The man must be a fairly convincing liar.
Not only is Elin the most seemingly normal person in this entire sordid saga, she is the only one with some degree of class. While hubby was busy humping his assortment of bimbos, Elin was mostly at home and pregnant, or involved with her two very young children and her college courses. She was building a life, and a family, and a future career for herself, in a quiet low profile manner, while Tiger was busy sowing the seeds of destruction for those same things in his own life. I can believe she was blind-sighted when she learned the truth about his affairs. I can believe she felt like her world was crumbling around her. I can believe she felt like a fool for not having known what he was doing. I can believe she felt deeply hurt and betrayed by him. And the relentless media exposure of the extent of Tiger's transgressions, and all the gossip, must have been very difficult for her to cope with. But cope she did. And she did it quietly, without comments to the media. She maintained her dignity throughout the whole ordeal, which is a lot more than Tiger managed to do.
Having been the subject of so much speculation and rumor, it is not surprising that Elin finally wanted to speak out and present herself to the public, in her own words, in the People magazine interview--an interview for which she was not paid. She did this only when her marriage was finally over, and she has said she will not give further interviews. But she finally told her story on her own terms, and not in the shadow of Tiger. This was a statement from a woman who suffered through an emotional ordeal and trauma and is ready to move on with her life. It is not a bitter or angry rant from a woman who felt scorned. Elin is a survivor, not a victim, and that is how she presents herself. Her self respect, and dignity, and self confidence are intact. She has a focus and goals in her life. This woman might have loved Tiger Woods, and mourned the loss of the marriage she thought she had, but she appears intact and ready to move ahead without him. She has not allowed herself to become a victim, and she does not claim to be a victim.
And, while Elin has said that money cannot heal emotional hurts or buy happiness, she is also wise enough, and honest enough, to realize that her substantial settlement will make her life easier and it will give her the power to spend her time and her resources in any way that she wishes. That may not compensate for what she has been through, but it will certainly put her future more firmly in her control.
One can only imagine how many men will now begin throwing themselves at her. She's not only rich and famous, but she's gorgeous to boot. And, unlike her ex-husband, she seems to have some meaningful values and meaningful priorities when it comes to relationships and goals. Hopefully she'll make good choices in the next chapter of her life and find whatever satisfaction she seeks. By trying not to hold onto bitterness and anger she has made a good start.
So, that means they were all not very good in bed either, since he rather indiscriminately bed hopped all over the place. 