FOX Sports star Erin Andrews opened up about the devastating cancer diagnosis and the hell of stalking that almost derailed her career.
In 2008, a stalker, Michael David Barrett, followed Andews to a Nashville hotel and filmed her naked, altering the peephole on her room door.
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A hotel employee told Barrett which room Andrews was staying in, allowing him to reserve a room next door.
The footage was put online in 2009 and shared widely, with one computer scientist estimating that 16.8 million people have seen footage from the video.
Andrés released to the New York Post that she feared her career would be ruined by the incident.
“One morning I wake up and there are videos of me all over the internet,” Andrews said.
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“And I called my parents. I’m always moved by this, because I know my parents suffered a lot.
“I start screaming at them, ‘My career is over. I’m done. This is going to ruin me!'”
Erin filed a $75 million lawsuit against Barrett, as well as West End Hotel Partners and Windsor Capital Group — the two companies that manage the Nashville Marriott — alleging ongoing emotional distress due to the episode.
In an emotionally draining trial in 2016, Erin was awarded $55 million, while Barrett was jailed for 20 months.
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After an appeal, the case was later settled for an undisclosed amount, but the incident continues to affect her to this day.
“I had a public trial. I had to prove to a lot of people that I wasn’t the one who posted those photos of me,” she says.
“This was a very difficult thing for my family.
“I would walk around stadiums and think, ‘Everyone in this stadium saw me naked and I had no choice.’ It was very difficult.”
Andrews’ life took a further turn for the worse in 2016 when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
She had successful surgery a few weeks after her diagnosis and did not need to undergo a hysterectomy.
His work ethic was such that Andrews went to work the day after the operation.
“I wasn’t supposed to be traveling, but there was no way I was going to miss that game,” she remembers.
Andrews kept his illness a secret for most of the season.
“I didn’t say anything until the Super Bowl,” she says.
When she went public with her cancer diagnosis, she was surprised by the reaction from her NFL colleagues and friends.
“I’ve had grown men who are NFL superstars call me, text me and pull me aside to cry,” she said.
“They said they were very grateful that I spoke openly about cervical cancer.”
Although Erin was still able to get pregnant naturally, luckily she froze her embryos years earlier.
Erin Andrews’ rise to the top
Erin Andrews is a key part of Fox Sports’ leading NFL broadcast team.
She is in her second stint at Fox, having returned to the network in 2012 after eight years at ESPN.
Andrews began his career at Fox Sports Florida in 2000 before rising to the top.
She also worked for the Sunshine Network in 2001 and 2002, as well as Turner Sports from 2002 to 2004.
Andrews hosted College GameDay during his eight years at ESPN, but returned to Fox in 2012 to work in the NFL.
And the sideline reporter went on to cover Super Bowls as well as the World Series in her stellar career.
Last summer, Andrews and her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll, announced they welcomed a son, Mack, with the help of a surrogate mother.
Andrews says she feels “mother guilt” when she leaves home for work.
“I didn’t think it would affect me, because I always put my work first. I just told my husband, ‘Well, I have to work,'” she said.
“And I didn’t think it would affect how I felt. But it did. Very.
“And I really appreciate the feedback from other moms who say, ‘You’re going to have this forever, but you need to go easy on yourself.'”
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