NFL sportscaster Erin Andrews has gotten candid about her struggles with cancer and infertility.
The longtime sideline reporter has suffered a number of highs and lows, enduring a cancer battle, a highly publicized $55 million court showdown against a stalker, and a harrowing fertility battle as her career played out in the public eye.
Andrews, 47, was diagnosed with cervical cancer, initially shielding her health battle from the rest of the world for a year.
Despite surviving the diagnosis following two surgeries, Andrews then endured another health battle, struggling through a decade-long IVF journey before welcoming her son Mack with husband Jarret Stoll in 2023.
Now, the Fox Sports star, who is gearing up for a new NFL season alongside Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady, has revealed the key to navigating the highs and lows of life.
‘When I was dealing with cancer, [and] even now when I’m dealing with my infertility, my surrogacy journey, I talk to people. I talk to my family [and] use them as a resource. I talk to doctors,’ she told People. ‘I just think it’s so important to get as much information as possible than to do it all by yourself.’
Erin Andrews candidly opened up about her struggles with cancer and infertility
Andrews and her husband, former NHL star Jarret Stoll, endured a years-long IVF battle
‘It’s communication. It’s being honest,’ she added. ‘Our last miscarriage, I tried to do a better job with being open about my feelings and my grief and so forth, whereas before, I kind of glossed over it, and I noticed that wasn’t the best. It’s not good for anyone. You’ve got to really talk it out, and that’s something that works for us in our life.’
Andrews and Stoll, a two-time Stanley Cup winner, got engaged almost immediately after she beat cancer in December 2016, and they tied the knot six months later, in June 2017.
They soon decided they wanted to start a family together and have a baby, but they endured a tragic years-long fertility battle before they finally welcomed a baby boy, named Mack, via surrogacy in 2023.
‘It was 10 years of hell,’ she reflected to the Today show after finally becoming a mom.
Erin explained that she began IVF almost immediately after she beat cancer, but she went through seven failed rounds and a devastating pregnancy loss before finally deciding to use a surrogate for their final egg.
Andrews announced in May that she and former NHL star Stoll had suffered another miscarriage through surrogacy.
Two years after welcoming Mack, the couple were trying for a second child but she shared the heartbreaking news that their surrogate had suffered a miscarriage earlier this year.
And while she and Stoll, are now considering trying again, Andrews admitted that the heartbreak makes it challenging to approach the IVF journey again.
The couple welcomed their two-year-old son Mack in 2023 via surrogacy
Andrews is gearing up for a NFL season for Fox with Kevin Burkhardt (L) and Tom Brady (R)
‘It’s really hard to stay up,’ she told People. ‘I mean, we’re talking about trying this all over again, and I am literally thinking to myself, ‘Ugh, I don’t want to do this all over again. I don’t want to deal with heartbreak.”
She urged women and couples in similar situations to seek answers and explore the options available to them, whether it be IVF or adoption.
Andrews had to undergo two surgeries after being diagnosed with cervical cancer before she was declared cancer free in December 2016.
Yet, fiercely dedicated to her job and dealing with the pressure of a male-dominated industry, she continued to work throughout the ordeal – even covering a game a day after her surgery – and kept her diagnosis a complete secret from the public until after it was over.
Andrews has been with Fox Sports since 2012, and has covered five Super Bowls, two World Series and other huge events, as per her Fox bio.
Her latest Super Bowl assignment saw her cover the Chiefs’ failed three-peat attempt against the Eagles, and she detailed after how she shared an emotional moment with her friend Travis Kelce following the loss.
‘I just walked up to him and he stopped and I gave him a big hug and I was just like ‘I’m so sorry, I love you, I’m so sorry.’ They’re humans too, you know,’ she recalled.
