A Freak Accident Left Carrie Underwood Worried She Couldn’t Show Her Face (The Life Of Carrie Underwood)
Carrie Underwood defines what it means to be "America's Sweetheart." Coming from a small town in Oklahoma, Underwood dominated the American Idol stage that served as a launching pad for her career as a bonafide country superstar.
Underwood's life wasn't that easy, especially in recent years after suffering a freak accident.
Carrie Underwood Grew Up On A Farm
Carrie Underwood grew up on a farm near the town of Checotah, Oklahoma. "Life on the farm's pretty simple. Whenever my dad needs help in the morning, I'll get up real early and help him go feed the cows," Underwood said on American Idol.
She wrote on her site, "Growing up in the country, I enjoyed things like playing on dirt roads, climbing trees, catching little woodland creatures and, of course, singing." Underwood performed in talent shows and sang at her local church throughout her childhood. Eventually, someone convinced her to go to Nashville when she was a young teen.
She Auditioned For Capitol Records As A Teen
Underwood became famous within her community for her voice and went to Nashville to audition at Capitol Records. At the time, Capitol Records wasn't aloof to the potential that teenaged Carrie Underwood had and in 1996 began preparing a contract for her.
But after the record company changed management, Underwood's contract was canceled and she was sent back home to Oklahoma. "I honestly think it's a lot better that nothing came out of it now, because I wouldn't have been ready then. Everything has a way of working out," she once said of that time.
Underwood's Love Of Team Sports Came To Play Later In Life
Back in Oklahoma, Carrie Underwood resumed the life of a typical teenage girl. She attended Checotah High School, where she was in cheer, basketball, and softball. "It was such an important time in my life... Learning how to work as a team and listen to your coach and practicing to get better because you want to get better," she told Sweety High in 2017.
Underwood's past prompted her to team up with Dick's Sporting Goods in 2015 to donate money to girls' sports teams across the country. That year, she launched an athleisure line with the store called CALIA.
She "Gave Up" Singing And Went To College
After Carrie Underwood graduated salutatorian from her high school in 2001, she left her singing aspirations behind. "After high school, I pretty much gave up on the dream of singing. I had reached a point in my life where I had to be practical and prepare for my future in the 'real world,'" she once said.
Underwood enrolled at Northeastern State University to study mass communication. Aside from being a sorority girl with Sigma Sigma Sigma, she worked very hard waiting tables, working in a zoo, and at a veterinary clinic.
She "Clucked" Her Way Onto American Idol
During her senior year of college in 2004, Underwood decided to try out for American Idol. That summer she went to the auditions in St. Louis, Missouri, where she impressed Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson with "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt.
Her audition also included the admission that she had a third nipple (she thought it was a mole) and that she could cluck like a chicken (she grew up on a farm, after all). Underwood had never flown on a plane before American Idol, but now she could probably afford her own private jet!
Carrie Pretty Much Had The Competition In The Bag
Carrie Underwood was a fan favorite throughout season four of American Idol, even gaining a fan base that was dubbed "Carrie's Care Bears." On multiple occasions throughout the competition, Simon Cowell commented on her potential to win it all and it seemed that he was predicting the future.
After singing "Bless the Broken Road" with Rascal Flatts during the finale, Underwood was named the fourth winner of American Idol. She not only won a million-dollar record deal and a Ford Mustang, but things came full circle when she was awarded use of a private jet for a year!
She Finished College After Winning American Idol
After winning American Idol, Carrie Underwood returned to Northeastern State to complete her degree, since she was only three credits away from graduating before she had to withdraw in order to compete.
In 2006, Underwood graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications with an emphasis in journalism. She reportedly even earned college credit for American Idol, telling People magazine, "I've obviously done enough with television. There was my internship right there!" She also added that had she not won the competition, she might've pursued a career in television news.
Carrie Would Rather Not Sing Than Lose Her Animals
Because of her close connection to animals having grown up on a farm, Carrie Underwood became a vegetarian at the age of 13. She couldn't bear the thought of eating one of the animals that her family owned, which is why she made the switch.
"Ever since I was little I loved animals. They depend on people to take care of them. If you told me I could never sing again, I'd say that was horrible, but it's not my life. If you told me I could never be around animals again, I would just die," she told PETA in 2007.
Carrie's Music Career Started Off Strong
The first single of Underwood's career was "Inside Your Heaven," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2005. Underwood made history with that single, becoming the first country artist to debut at No. 1.
The single was included on Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Since its release in 2005, the album has been certified eight-times platinum and became the best-selling album of any American Idol alum in the U.S. It included other hits such as "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats."
Carrie Has So Many Grammy Awards
Carrie Underwood's career continued to rise well after her big win. In fact, Underwood became a bonafide star in her own right, winning many accolades along the way. Underwood is the second country artist in history to win Best New Artist at the Grammy's (following LeAnn Rimes's win in 1997.)
In 2007 in addition to Best New Artist, Underwood also won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus, Take the Wheel." She followed that up the next year with the same award for "Before He Cheats," and would win four more in the years that followed.
Carrie Underwood Became A Grand Ole Opry Member
She may have many awards, but perhaps nothing could mean more to Carrie Underwood as a country singer than being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. In 2008, Underwood was inducted by fellow Oklahoman and Opry member Garth Brooks.
Underwood was choked up as she received her award saying, "This is going to have a very special place in my awards case. I want to thank everybody at the Opry for having me as part of your family because it is such a great family to be a part of... it really means everything to me. I am so blessed."
Carrie Revs Up Football Fans On Sunday Nights
Carrie Underwood is America's sweetheart, so it's no surprise she's performed the "Star Spangled Banner" at a major league sporting event at least nine times. Of course, there's nothing more American than football and in 2013, Underwood took over Faith Hill in performing the opening theme song for NBC Sunday Night Football.
Hill, who had previously announced she would leave the show, tweeted her support saying, "Congrats to Carrie!! An awesome choice by the guys at NBC/SNF. She'll rock it!" She sang a rendition of her song "Oh, Sunday Night," but in 2018 switched to an original called "Game On."
Carrie Underwood Proved She Can Act Too
Considering her star status, it wasn't long before Carrie Underwood dipped her toes into acting. Her very first acting credit was on How I Met Your Mother in 2010, an appearance that drew over 10 million viewers.
In 2012, Underwood's singing abilities came into play when she was cast as Maria von Trapp for NBC's live broadcast of The Sound of Music. "To have a star like Carrie Underwood perform Maria in The Sound of Music, and in such a very special and unique production, is exciting beyond words," said the president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
Underwood Dealt With Dating And Fame
Of course, since making it in Hollywood, Underwood's dating options were among the celebrity variety. Throughout the course of her career, Underwood has dated actor Chace Crawford and Dallas Cowboy Quarterback Tony Romo.
But Underwood has said relationships have been strained by fame. She told People in 2008, "It's difficult while you're dating because people always make a lot bigger deal of things than they actually are. Then when you break up with somebody and then like two months later it comes out and it's like you're rehashing old stuff. I don't know [why] that's all out now."
Carrie Is Living Happily Ever After
Carrie Underwood ended up with a fairytale romance of her own after meeting NHL player Mike Fisher after one of her concerts in 2008. Underwood's bassist Mark Childers set up the pair, who immediately hit it off.
They became engaged a year later and married in 2010 at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, Georgia. The couple would spend weeks apart from each other at first due to their careers, but were finally together when Fisher was drafted to the Nashville Predators in 2011. In 2015, they welcomed a baby boy named Isaiah Michael Fisher.
She Struggled To Have A Second Baby
Not long after welcoming her son, people were already excited for Underwood's family to grow. But trying to make a sibling for little Isaiah proved harder than she thought. Underwood revealed to CBS Sunday Morning that she endured three miscarriages over two years.
The revelation came just after she had announced her second pregnancy in August 2018. That year she released her new single "Cry Pretty" which she said, "speaks to a lot of things that have happened in this past year." Underwood said that she channeled the pain of her miscarriages into writing her new album.
A Freak Accident Left Her Worried She Couldn't Show Her Face
In November 2017, Underwood alarmed many of her fans when she was reported to have fallen and suffered "multiple injuries," including a broken wrist. Underwood fell silent leaving many to believe the accident was worse than it was, but she assured everyone she was fine.
In April 2018, she opened about her freak accident, explaining she missed a step outside of her home when taking her dogs for a walk. She had to get a metal plate and 40 stitches on her face! She said on a radio show, "If I had fallen anywhere else, I would have been perfectly fine."
Underwood Calls Herself The "Black-Crystal" Sheep
Carrie Underwood never forgets her humble beginnings, but once admitted that her fame has made her the black sheep of the family in terms of taste. Growing up her mom would maker her outfits with materials from Walmart and even after she made it big, they wouldn't let her get them a new home. It is undoubtedly one of the ways Underwood manages to stay grounded.
"My parents are really great people who want nothing to do with any of this... I'm the black sheep of the family. The black-crystal sheep. Swarovski," she told Marie Claire in 2013.
Carrie Underwood Knows How To Stay In Shape
One thing that Carrie's Care Bears also look to her for is her fitness and diet routine. Underwood has been praised for her toned figure that she maintains despite her busy career and caring for her son.
In addition to keeping a food journal, she also writes down exercises she plans to do afterward. "I have a gym at home with a treadmill, an elliptical, a cable machine, and free weights... Depending on the day, I try to spend 10 to 15 minutes warming up, then at least a solid hour working out," she told Cosmopolitan in 2017.
Carrie Let Didn't Let Brad Blow It A Second Time
Since 2008, Carrie Underwood has had the honor of hosting Country Music Association Awards alongside Brad Paisley. In 2014, during her first pregnancy, Paisley made the hilarious mistake of revealing the gender of Underwood's baby on stage. The incident prompted the hashtag #BradBlewIt.
In 2018, the co-hosts made light of the situation since Underwood announced her second pregnancy, but revealed that she was going to have another boy! "Mike and Isaiah and I are absolutely over the moon and excited to be adding another little fish to our pond," she wrote to fans.
