CARRIE’S SECRET PAIN
The truth about the mysterious incident that sent megastar Carrie Underwood to the hospital — and then into hiding
It was worse than anyone knew. Two months after her publicist announced that Carrie Underwood had taken a “hard fall” down the stairs outside her Nashville home, the singer gave fan club members a sobering update. Though she’d initially only mentioned suffering a broken wrist, the Nov. 10 incident — which forced her to miss three major events, including being inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame — also left her with severe facial injuries that required between 40 and 50 stitches, Carrie claimed. “Even though I’ve had the best people helping me, I’m still healing and not looking quite the same,” wrote the seven-time Grammy winner. “When I am ready to get in front of a camera, I want you all to understand why I might look a bit different.” The new account of her injuries — which were so much more severe than she’d initially let on — set off a firestorm of speculation online. Wild conspiracy theories swirled, with some suggesting Carrie, 34, may have had secret plastic surgery and others raising the possibility of a domestic dispute. The star’s rep made a point of saying Carrie’s hubby, Mike Fisher, was out of town when Carrie got hurt — but that did nothing to lessen the mystery. “The buzz in Nashville is intense, with everyone wanting to know the same thing: What really happened?” a Carrie insider tells Life & Style. “The stories have really been all over the map. People want to get to the bottom of it and
find out the truth about her accident.”
SO MANY QUESTIONS
The real story, according to Carrie, is that it was just “a freak, random accident.” But she hasn’t revealed details, only saying that it could’ve been “much, much worse.” While her rep says Carrie was hurt on a Friday night, two members of her inner circle maintain that the injuries happened in the morning and forced her to undergo not one but two reconstructive surgeries. “The fall was very bloody,” says a friend. “And she had to call the ambulance herself.”
One theory making the rounds? “People are wondering if Carrie was hungover or drunk and tripped over her dogs,” notes the Carrie insider. “Carrie’s clearly not a drunk, but she loves her wine and cham- pagne. Some think she’s just embarrassed to admit that’s what really happened.”
There’s also a question about how serious her injuries really are. Carrie posted only one pic on Instagram in the first seven weeks after her accident — and it showed just her eyes, with the rest of her head wrapped in a Calia by Carrie Underwood scarf. Every other photo has been a throwback. And her sug- gestion that fans may not recognize her makes her sound like she was horribly disfigured. But one of the only people who’s actually seen the star since the accident couldn’t see a sign of any injury. On Dec. 12, Below Deck alum Adrienne Gang ran into Carrie at the gym and posted a photo with her. “She is adorable,” raved Adrienne, later adding that the singer looked “amazing” and
that she had “no clue” that Carrie was injured.
IN A DARK PLACE
Whatever caused her injuries, and however severe they are, the episode has clearly taken a toll. “Carrie has been having nightmares. She hates looking in the mirror,” says a source. The accident, confirms the Carrie insider, “was an emotional roller coaster for her. She’s felt like she was losing it. She’s been a total wreck.”
The “Before He Cheats” singer has leaned on her loved ones for support since the incident. But her own husband’s whereabouts when Carrie was injured have only added to the mystery. In the initial November statement, Carrie’s rep noted that Mike, a 37-year- old retired pro hockey player who now runs a hunting- oriented lifestyle brand with his brother, rushed “back into town” after the accident “to be with” Carrie. But no one’s ever divulged why he was away in the first place. And despite tweeting two days after the accident that she was “glad I’ve got the best hubby in the world to take care of me,” his wife has failed to gush about him in public statements since then.
Still, as she’s recovered, he’s been by her side, the Carrie insider says. In late December, she shared a photo of her husband of seven years and their son, Isaiah, 2, smiling in the snow. Despite reports in 2017 that she and Mike had been having problems, “He always has her back,” says the Carrie insider. “He’s been super supportive throughout everything.” And Carrie feels like she’s finally starting to heal. “I’ve still got a ways to go in the recovery process,” she wrote in her fan letter, “but it’s encouraging to see every day be a little better than the last.”
THE MYSTERY CONTINUES
Carrie’s still not ready to reveal all. While the 2005 American Idol winner admits her facial injuries are “another part of the story that I haven’t been ready to talk about,” the singer isn’t giving a play- by- play of the accident anytime soon. “She’s been so secretive, it’s turned into this huge guessing game,” says the Carrie insider. “There’s so much intrigue.”
Carrie herself says she’s not sure what the future holds. “There has been much uncertainty,” admits the star. “I just don’t know how it’s all going to end up.”
“There is... another part of the story that I haven’t been ready to talk about.” Carrie on her November accident