Rachel Uchitel, one of many women Tiger Woods had an affair with when he was married to his ex-wife Elin Nordegren, said his life has been a “living hell” for years since the scandal erupted.
He explained to “Extra” why he finally breaks his silence ten years later.
“I’ve been silent for over a decade and I felt it was very important for me to speak only once in my life, because I’ve spent all these years letting people think what they want to think and say what they want to say,” he said. “I needed to take off the handcuffs and be able to tell my story for myself. I’ve spent years ashamed of what’s going on.”
The 45-year-old said she was “ashamed” to have had an affair with a married man, but “this is for me to deal with” and did not think it was fair for her to be slandered by the media and the public.
“One moment doesn’t define your life … And I don’t like to be called a mistress,” Uchitel said. “I don’t like being branded a homewrecker, I’m not who I am. I’m a 45-year-old woman. I made a wrong turn ten years ago … I didn’t throw anyone down the stairs. I didn’t kill anyone. I committed an error. Everyone makes mistakes “.
In fact, the scandal has followed him despite the passage of time. “It’s all turned my life into a living hell for the last ten years,” the former nightclub host said.
Uchitel also talked about why he participated in the upcoming HBO documentary “Tiger” about the tumultuous life of the golf star.
“I wanted people to see what was really going on. I wasn’t a mistress and I had a real relationship and I want people to leave me alone. I made a bad decision. And I’m sorry, and I’m ashamed and … my apology is for two people, not for the world, for two people, “he said.
According to reports, the documentary will show Uchitel remembering the first blocked eyes with Woods, also 45, at a New York nightclub. That’s where Woods allegedly asked for his number and texted him minutes later.
Woods’ divorce from Nordegren was made official on August 23, 2010. The former couple share two children: daughter Sam Alexis, 13, and son Charlie Axel, 11.
The athlete then entered a treatment center for sexual rehabilitation.
Woods’ ex-wife later moved in with Jordan Cameron. Nordegren, 41, and Cameron welcomed a boy, a boy named Arthur, in 2019.
The first part of “Tiger” premiered on HBO on January 10, and its second part aired on January 17.