This is a good indicator of how slow the gossip world is today – Us Weekly’s big scoop of the week is that Elin Nordegren, the ex-wife of Tiger Woods, is back in the dating game. Elin had been extraordinarily low-key in the aftermath of Tiger’s… uh… Mistress Explosion. As far as I can remember, Elin only gave that one interview to People Magazine, and beyond that she kept quiet and stayed out of the spotlight as she filed for divorce and allowed her estranged husband to self-destruct publicly. So, now she’s back into the dating game, and it looks like no celebrities are allowed.

Elin Nordegren is back in the game! Eight months after divorcing pro golfer Tiger Woods, the Swedish model, 31, is on a mission for a new man, a source tells Us Weekly.

“She was seeing a banker in Florida for three months, but that went nowhere,” continues the insider.

As for her relationship with her 35-year-old ex (father to her children, Sam, 3, and Charlie, 2), “the only interaction they have is when she drops the kids off,” adds the source.

“That’s it. She hates him. She doesn’t see him or speak with him. And they have their custody schedule already set through the end of the year.”

And finding a boyfriend isn’t Nordegren’s only project. After purchasing a $12.2 million beachfront mansion in North Palm Beach, Fla., in March, the Rollins College psychology student “is knocking it down and rebuilding on the lot,” says the source, adding that she’s renting a place nearby.

“She’s doing really well.”

[From Us Weekly]

I forget how much Elin’s rumored divorce settlement actually ended up being, but I believe it was in the mid-to-high eight figures, and that kind of money can buy you a lot of happiness. Seriously, if you were Elin, why even have a moment of self-doubt? Tiger didn’t cheat on her because she wasn’t pretty or nice or that her body wasn’t awesome (all of the crap we tell ourselves when a dude cheats). Tiger cheated on her because he’s a douche. I hope Elin continues to keep everything low-key, and I hope she finds someone nice who appreciates her. Like a lawyer, or somebody normal.

Sidenote: I wonder if she gets freaked out if a “normal” guy likes to golf as a hobby, though. Wouldn’t you? If your ex was one of the best golfers in the world, and now your date wants to talk about his handicap? Yeah. That would be sketchy.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

According to British rag The Sun, Elin Woods is dating again and is “getting close” to a South African student she met at the college she attends in Florida. It sounds like The Sun is basing their report on a story in The National Enquirer, which mentions as an aside that Elin was recently kissed by a hot male classmate in the parking lot at her school. The Enquirer and their sister site, Radar Online, have run photos of Elin outside her college and likely have a photographer tailing her. This could have been a friendly goodbye kiss that their paparazzo witnessed but didn’t get a shot of, or it could be based on a tip or made up. The Enquirer isn’t making as big a deal about it as The Sun is, and just mentions it as part of a larger story about how Elin allegedly wants more kids with whomever she ends up with. This is supposedly pissing off Elin’s ex, Tiger, who “is crushed that she is moving on so soon.” Of course he is.

As The ENQUIRER revealed in October, a brokenhearted Tiger infuriated his ex-wife by begging her to take him back.

And, added the insider: “He had the incredible nerve to bring it up again” on a recent trip to her Windermere, Fla., home to drop off the kids.

“He was blindsided when Elin dropped the bombshell that she expects to marry again and start a new life with more children – telling Tiger, ‘but it won’t be with YOU!’” the insider revealed.

“Even at 30, she knows her biological clock is ticking, but she’s convinced there is a bright future ahead – without cheating Tiger around. She told a friend, ‘I’ll find true love again, and I’ll definitely have more kids.’”…

The embattled pair’s divorce was finalized in August, leaving them with shared custody of their two adorable youngsters.

“Tiger’s not stupid – he knows his ex-wife is gorgeous, and she’s rich, and she would be a prime catch for any man.”

The skirt-chasing athlete’s out-of-control behavior deeply wounded Swedish blonde Elin, and she may not get back to a normal life for quite some time, said the insider.

“She is very wary of any new relationship because she has been hurt so deeply by Tiger.

“She does want to date – but only when she meets the right guy. First and foremost on her agenda is the well-being of her two kids.

“Elin said, ‘Everyone wants to feel needed. I need someone in my life that I can trust, and that day will come.’ She’d love four children altogether.”

The beautiful ex-model recently was shocked when a male friend from a college class she’s taking suddenly and impulsively kissed her while walking her back to her car in the school parking lot, according to the insider.

Elin, who was always faithful to Tiger, later said: “It completely took me off guard – but it was very pleasant. I enjoyed it!”

Reports the insider: “She kissed him back.”

[From The National Enquirer]

I hope this is true and that Tiger is begging Elin to take him back and she’s all “nope,” and “I’ll start a family with someone else, thank you very much.” It sounds like she’s just out and enjoying life and isn’t necessarily dating anyone seriously. If she was, it’s not like we’d hear about it. She’s handled her business with a lot of grace and class.

Radar Online reports that Elin plans to spend Christmas with her kids in Sweden with her family. Tiger got their children Sam, 3 and 1/2, and Charlie, 22 months, for Thanksgiving, and worked out a deal with Elin that she would have them for Christmas in return. It looks like Tiger will be without his kids for Christmas, but I doubt he’ll spend the holiday alone. There are surely plenty of women who would keep him company for the right price.

Elin Woods isn’t letting anything from the past hang around to bring her down. According to the National Enquirer she’s selling all of the jewelry Tiger gave her, including her engagement ring. She recently placed the pieces to go up for auction with Sotheby’s, where they’re expected to fetch around $2.5 million. Elin has asked that the jewelry be auctioned anonymously and that her name not be attached to the sale.

“It’s the ultimate act of revenge,” said a source close to Elin. “It’s her way of saying, ‘Now do you get the message? It’s over!’”

As the Enquirer has reported, only a week after finalizing his $100 million divorce settlement, the disgraced golfer began begging the mother of this two children to reconcile.

He recently pleaded his case in person after returning his youngsters from a visitation – but Elin told him to go stick his head in a sand trap!

Now Elin has instructed the famed auction house Sotheby’s to sell her fabulous bling, including her hefty antique diamond engagement ring.

Her entire jewelry collection could fetch close to $2.5 million…

“She treasured the pieces as gifts from a loving husband, but now figures they were more likely things he bought without much care to cover up his guilt.”

The stash includes a diamond necklace with matching earrings and other treasures from Cartier, Tiffany and Harry Winston. Elin has requested that she not be identified as the seller, disclosed the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, November 8, 2010]

I remember when Ellen Barkin sold off all her jewelry from her billionaire ex, Ron Perelman. She made $20 million dollars from the sale! In an interview with Parade, Barkin described the jewelry as “battle scars.” She said “I didn’t want to look down at my hand and be reminded of why I left him. I didn’t need to carry around baggage of a man who had tried to make me Mrs. Somebody. The jewellery wasn’t a trophy for me. It was more like a battle scar.” Elin probably feels the same, and wonders which prostitute Tiger was with the night before he bought her that diamond necklace.

Elin received an alleged $110 million dollar settlement in her divorce but is still said to have curtailed her lifestyle to make sure that the money lasts and that she leaves plenty for her kids.

Radar Online has the supposed details on Elin Nordegren’s hush-hush divorce settlement from golfing great Tiger Woods. Elin is said to have received $110 million dollars when their six year marriage was dissolved. It’s Powerball lottery money, but still not the rumored 3/4 billion that we heard was in the works this summer. This number is close to what TMZ reported at that time, and as they pointed out it’s much more than she would have received under the prenup. Given the extenuating circumstances, it’s understandable that she got a larger chunk of Tiger’s financial pie. Still, Elin isn’t living large and Radar reports she even flew commercial recently instead of chartering a jet.

Tiger Woods divorce payout to Elin Nordegren was $110 million, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.

The amount has not been revealed previously.

And although Elin walked out of the marriage with a fortune, she’s not flaunting it, and has certainly not been extravagant, one source close to the situation told RadarOnline.com exclusively.

She flew to California and back to Orlando this past week on Virgin America, instead of chartering a private jet.

In the past she has had access to a private jet from Tiger’s camp.

“She could afford the jet but didn’t even consider it,” the source said.

“She’s not cheap, but she’s just not throwing money around and wasting it the way some people would.”

Elin still employs nannies and other household help as she shares custody with Tiger of their two children.

“But she has cut back some of the hours some people work,” a friend told us.

“She’s not acting like she hit the lottery.”

Far from it. In fact, Elin is still recovering emotionally from the trauma of discovering her husband had a secret life of serial cheating.

Her payout is approximately 12 times more than Tiger’s most recent mistress, Rachel Uchitel, received from the golfing legend.

But it’s not nearly as much as she could have received, some people believe.

Tiger’s exact net worth is unknown publicly but one source says it is approximately $500 million, meaning Elin could have received at least another $100 million.

[From Radar]

Good for Elin I guess. She’s probably still concerned about her children’s future and wants to make sure she doesn’t squander the money in case they need it some day. She’s not going to fritter away her settlement in a few years like Heather Mills.

Meanwhile there’s a story that a potential Tiger Woods sex tape is coming. According to Radar, it’s a fake filmed with a lookalike. The seller, Devon James, is one of the many stripper/prostitutes to claim a relationship with Tiger. Radar has a pretty amusing interview with the guy in the tape, who claims that he was told that he was going to fulfill a fantasy for a woman who wanted to screw Tiger Woods. He knew he was being filmed but thought it was just for personal use. “I was in it to make a couple bucks and have sex with a pretty lady. I just thought I was fulfilling this woman’s fantasy of having sex with Tiger Woods.” James claims to have received $350,000 for the tape, but I imagine she’ll have to use some of that money to defend herself against lawsuits from Tiger’s camp.

Elin is shown out on 2/9 and 1/7/10. Credit: Fame Pictures

I think Life & Style’s cover this week is totally a low blow. The basic gist is that L&S somehow (eye roll) got an interview with two of Tiger Woods’ former mistresses, Jaimee Grubbs and Jamie Jungers. They somehow (eye roll) got Grubbs and Jungers to go the record about Elin Woods, who I’m thinking Grubbs and Jungers have never met, ever. Considering Elin got wide praise for her restrained and seemingly honest People Magazine interview, it just seems like people (mistresses) are just trying to take Elin down for no reason other than malice (and a payday).

Elin Nordegren finally broke her silence about ex-husband Tiger Woods’ infidelities in an interview last week but several of his former mistresses now tell Life & Style Elin was holding back—for a major payday.

“Money can buy anything — including silence,” former mistress Jaimee Grubbs tells Life & Style.

“I’m sure Elin is hiding millions of secrets,” Jamie Jungers – whom Tiger had an 18-month affair beginning in June 2005 – tells Life & Style exclusively. “She’s not a stupid woman. I’d imagine she knew more about his indiscretions than she wanted to say. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tiger forced Elin to do the interview in order to save his reputation — to make himself look better.”

With a settlement estimated at more than $100 million, Elin is still, in effect, under Tiger’s heavy-handed control.

“I don’t believe Elin was blindsided,” says Jamie. “Tiger was too open, or at least not cautious about hiding. Elin knew more than she wanted to say.”

[From Life & Style]

Here’s the thing – I don’t really think Elin was as “blindsided” as she claims either. I don’t think Elin really knew about the extent of Tiger’s affairs, or with so many women, but when I read those exhaustive Vanity Fair pieces about Tiger’s married life, I was struck by how little time he and Elin actually spent with each other during their marriage. Their marriage seemed very clinical to me, all business and photo ops and no passion or goodwill. Once again, I’m not saying that it’s Elin’s fault or that she had it coming or anything – I’m NOT. I’m just saying that there’s more to Elin’s story, but that I still have a lot of sympathy for her. And Tiger’s former mistresses should shut the hell up.

Cover courtesy of L&S.

Last week’s “suck it, haters” People Magazine cover story with Elin Woods scored big at the newsstands. PopEater’s sources have the issue selling a solid 2 million copies, making it one of People’s most successful issues ever. But how does it match up to one of People’s best-selling celebrity covers of all time, their exclusive debut photos of Brangelina’s twins? Well, the Brange twins sold about 2.5 million issues, but People had to pay for them, big time. People did not have to pay for the Elin interview – so, SCORE.

Elin Nordegren’s surprising tell-all on the cover of last week’s PEOPLE magazine had everyone in a tizzy, and not just because she opened up about her philandering ex, Tiger Woods. The magazine was so confident it would be a huge seller, they even raised their price and printed more copies, something they hadn’t done since they debuted Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s twins in August 2008. So did it top Angie’s tots? Not quite, but it still was a monster at the newsstands.

“Everyone at PEOPLE will be popping the champagne this morning,” an editor at a competing weekly tells me. “Early numbers show that Elin sold around 2 million copies, way up from its average of 1.4 million, yet not quite the 2.5 million Angelina sold.”

What makes these numbers particularly staggering is that unlike the $12 million dollars the glossy paid to Angelina for the exclusive first images of Knox Leon and Vivienne, they got Elin to open up for free, making this one of the most profitable issues of all time.

“This wasn’t about the money for Elin,” a friend of Tiger’s ex tells me. “It was about telling her story once and for all. She will be happy that so many people bought the issue and finally read the truth. But now she hopes they all go away and leave her and her family alone. The last thing in the world Elin wanted to be was a celebrity.”

Well, unfortunately for Elin, that cat is out of the bag, and after selling 2 million issues of a single magazine, you can bet the press isn’t going anywhere. However, Elin has a long way to go before she tops the two biggest sellers in the magazine’s 35-year history: the issue covering Princess Diana’s death (3 million) and the issue following the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 (4.1 million copies).

[From PopEater]

This is a weird story, considering that Sandra Bullock’s big debut of son Louis was also compared to the Brangelina twins cover – only for that story, the Brangelina cover allegedly sold 2.8 million, not 2.5 million. Allegedly, Sandra’s People cover just about matched the twins’ debut in sales, or fell short by a few thousand or so. So, take it to the bank: everyone wants to read about scorned women and look at photos of babies.

I wanted to make fun of Tiger Woods for this quote he gave after getting his groove back on the golf course post-divorce. Tiger said “it feels good to be able to control my ball all day.” I know it’s childish, but it made me chuckle. Tiger improved his game quite a bit after struggling for months with a comeback that looked like it would never happen, and he did it not-so-coincidentally right after his divorce was finalized. So is the old Tiger back, and should hostesses and Ho-Jos waitresses look out? Probably, especially if they’re hoping to get more than unprotected sex out of the tightwad. Tiger finished in a tie for 12th at the Barclay’s in Paramus, NJ. That’s not up to his regular performance, but it’s much better than he’s been doing. Here’s People’s report:

After struggling for months, Tiger Woods jumped out to an impressive start Thursday in his first golf tournament since finalizing his divorce from Elin Nordegren.

At The Barclays in New Jersey, Woods made a staggering seven birdies to finish the day sharing the lead with another pro with a score of 65, his best round of the year.

“It feels good to be able to control my ball all day like this,” Woods told reporters.

Asked if wrapping up his divorce removed a burden, he responded, “I can’t really say that’s the case.”

All he knows is he’s feeling like the old Tiger, and the golf press agress. USA Today gushes, “Woods is making a shambles of the course.”

[From People]

Tiger gave a lot of other quotes and you know People cheekily picked the one with that was the best double entendre. He also said he was “very pleased” with his performance and “I found something in my stroke today which was good.” It’s hard to take this guy’s statements at face value or to think about him without imagining him an Ambien-fueled romp.

There’s a related story that Tiger’s ex Elin is considering using some of her settlement money to open up a clinic for children from broken homes. This story seems to have originated in the Sunday Times of London, which reports that Elin, who is studying for a degree in psychology, wants to help children of divorce. Elin’s parents divorced when she was just six, so she has first hand experience with this issue. This story could be accurate as the reporter from People Magazine who did Elin’s interview said on the Today Show that Elin wanted to help children from broken homes.

Associates say Nordegren has been discussing with her twin sister, Josefin, a London-based lawyer, how she might use part of her settlement to help broken families and, in particular, children.

“Elin has a lot of ideas, including setting up her own clinic to help poorer children suffering from mental illnesses such as depression, eating disorders and hypertension, which can result from living in a broken family.”

“Maybe it’s not surprising, but she feels strongly that children are the real victims when marriages fail,” said one of her campus colleagues.

[From The NY Post]

That sounds like a great way for Elin to use some of her millions to help kids. I hope she moves forward with this as she could do a lot of good. It looks like Tiger will be able to afford those undoubtedly steep child support payments for some time too.

Yesterday we heard advance details from Elin Woods’ interview in People Magazine. Elin spent 19 hours over several days with People’s reporter. She told them that she had no idea before that Thanksgiving night that Tiger was cheating, that she never hit Tiger with a golf club as rumored, and that she was devastated. “The world betrayal isn’t strong enough. I felt like my whole world had fallen apart” Elin would not discuss the details of the night of Tiger’s accident nor would she disclose the settlement amount she received from Tiger. (Which is thought to be upwards of $100 million, although numbers in the media may be pure speculation.) One thing that I found interesting is that Elin has been working on her bachelors degree in Psychology by taking night classes at a local college for years and she’s just 40 credits away from graduating. The reporter who spoke to her said on The Today Show yesterday that Elin hopes to become a counselor and work with children from broken homes.

Some of you were disappointed that Elin finally granted an interview, which she claims will be her only one, after remaining silent for nearly nine months. I can’t blame her for wanting to get her side of the story out there. I also think that she did it with a lot of grace and tact, especially considering all the sordid details we’ve heard in the interim. If she paid any attention to the news, and if it’s true that she had no idea about her husband’s infidelity until last November, she must have been flabbergasted and fuming.

In response to the news of Elin’s interview, Tiger initially issued a brief statement saying “Elin is a wonderful mother. I know that the two of us will do everything we can to help our children adjust to this new family situation.” He’s since given a press conference in which he talked about his career and addressed questions about Elin’s interview and their divorce, which just became final this week.

Woods today added to that statement at a press conference where he again emphasised the importance of his children.

‘It’s a sad time in our lives,’ he told reporters at The Barclays golf tournament in New Jersey.

‘I wish her [Nordegren] the best in everything. We’re looking forward to how we can help our kids the best way we possibly can. And that’s the most important thing.’

When a reporter asked Woods if he still loves Nordegren, he didn’t answer, instead repeating; ‘That’s the most important thing.’

Woods was also asked whether he felt relief at the split. He said: ‘I don’t think that’s the word. I think it’s just more sadness.

‘Because I don’t think you ever go into a marriage looking to get divorced. That’s the thing. That’s why it is sad.’

The golfer also appeared to express regret for his past behaviour.

‘My actions certainly led us to this decision,’ he said. ‘And I’ve certainly made a lot of errors in my life and that’s something I’m going to have to live with.’

After saying that the divorce ‘was a lot more difficult than I was letting on,’ Woods referred to his wife’s People interview.

‘I certainly understand that she is sad,’ he said. ‘And I feel the same way.’

Earlier, in a statement to the magazine, he again discussed his two children.

‘Personally, I am learning to balance family and golf. My children come first and always will, but I also appreciate golf more than ever,’ he said.

He added that he cherished the time he was able to spend with the children, describing how he enjoys nothing more than hitting balls at the golf range with 18-month-old Charlie and taking three-year-old Sam to school.

Paying tribute to his ex-wife, who he called a ‘wonderful mother, ‘ Woods also called for privacy, saying: ‘This is a very painful, personal and private time for our family.’

[From The Daily Mail]

His people told him to say he was “sad” and maybe he is, but it came off as a talking point more than genuine sentiment, especially the way he kept repeating it as his go-to adjective. Elin put up with a lot and it does seem like Tiger feels guilty that he put her through all that. The guy was making very risky moves just waiting to get caught, though. On some level he must have known it was inevitable. Tiger’s golf game has really suffered in the past few months and his attempted comeback following the scandal hasn’t been successful. He’s still ranked number 1 in the world but he’s performed very poorly in recent tournaments and there are a lot of younger up-and-coming golfers ready to take his place. We’ll have to see if he ever gets his groove back or if he’ll be struggling for the rest of his career. No wonder he’s sad. He screwed up more than just his marriage and family.

This kind of shocks the hell out of me. Elin Nordegren gave an extensive and exclusive interview to People Magazine, all about her ordeal at the hands of Tiger Woods’ wandering dong. According to People, the whole interview was 19 hours long, over the course of four days, and Elin gave them access before and after the divorce was finalized. Here’s People’s brief excerpt from their cover story:

Her divorce is final and she’s ready to talk. Elin Nordegren breaks her nine-month silence in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE magazine.

“I have been through the stages of disbelief and shock, to anger and ultimately grief over the loss of the family I so badly wanted for my children,” she says in the magazine’s latest issue, out just days after her split from Tiger Woods was made official.

The 30-year-old mother of two, who is studying towards a college degree in psychology, says that despite her husband’s betrayal, “I also feel stronger than I ever have. I have confidence in my beliefs, my decisions and myself.”

In 19 hours over four visits to her Windermere, Fla., rental home, Nordegren shared never-before-seen personal photographs and opened up to PEOPLE about the emotional roller coaster she’s been on, her life as a mother to Sam, 3, and Charlie, 19 months, and her hopes for the future.

“My immediate plan is for the kids and me to continue to adjust to our new situation. I am going to keep taking classes, but my main focus is to try to give myself time to heal,” she says.

She tells the magazine this was her first – and last – interview, as she intends to remain a private person.

For much more, including exclusive photos of Nordegren at home, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

[From People]

Oh, so she’s playing the “this is the only interview I’m going to give” game. Okay. Sure. I’ll buy that. By the way, in case you thought People talked to her for 19 hours without getting any dirt, NBC’s Today show got the exclusive with the the People Mag reporter, and they also excerpted even more from the story:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Elin also tells the mag that as more and more of Tiger’s mistresses came out, she felt “absolute shock and disbelief. I felt stupid as more things were revealed – how could I not have known anything? The world betrayal isn’t strong enough. I felt like my whole world had fallen apart.”

On Tiger: “I loved him, we had so much fun. I felt safe with him.”

On reportedly and allegedly chasing Tiger out of the house as she wielded a golf club: “The speculation that I would have used a golf club to hit him is just truly ridiculous.”

On the SNL skits and late-night jokes parodying the violent allegations: “Pretty hysterical, even if they were totally untrue.”

Elin also confirms that she plans to raise the kids in Florida, and Tiger released a statement to People saying, “Elin is a wonderful mother. I know that two of us will do everything we can to help our children adjust to this new family situation.” Elin also plans to continue her education and get her Bachelor’s in Psychology.

Post-split, Elin says she’s “not watched one minute of golf.” And she says she probably won’t date for a while, but that she “believes in love.”

There’s a lot more in the Today show clip! Also, The Sun’s sources (I know) say that Elin’s settlement was much bigger than $100 million, and that she’s on the war path or whatever: “Elin is a strong, independent woman who has been badly wronged. It is not about money. She has turned down a host of offers. And she won’t really dish the dirt. She wanted to show she will not be silenced. She wants people to see she’s not allowing her husband’s legal team to call all the shots.” The Sun says: “But pals said reports she got ‘only’ £70million were ‘laughable‘. They insisted the deal easily beat the £100million Tiger’s basketball pal Michael Jordan paid his wife Juanita in 2007.”

It feels like the divorce proceedings have been going on forever, but I guess it just took about eight months to finalize this bad boy. According to Elin and Tiger, their divorce is now finalized, and they can legally act like single people again – Tiger already started, about five years ago. Here’s the public statement, on Tiger’s website (via Us Weekly):

“We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future. While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us. Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being. The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern.”

[From Us Weekly]

Allegedly, the whole deal entails joint custody of their children, and a $100 million cash-and-property settlement for Elin. It’s also thought to include a non-disclosure agreement, which means that Elin would not be able to give interviews bashing Tiger, not that she would anyway – it doesn’t seem to be her personality. Lin will likely move back to Sweden full-time, with the kids, and Tiger probably won’t have extensive access to the kids, at least that’s what it looks like from where I sit. I also don’t think that Tiger was fighting for increased access to the kids, for what it’s worth.

So… the long battle is over, and now every hooker, Ho-Jo’s waitress and party planner is on CODE RED HIGH ALERT: Tiger is on the prowl, and he’s finally single!