Carrie Understood is a true rag to riches story.
She began as a small-town Oklahoman girl who found fame on American Idol .
RELATED STORIES
Flash forward to today and she’s one of country music’s biggest superstars (she’s worth a lot , too).
While we’ve had the pleasure of watching her star rise, there are still some things we don’t know. Let’s change that with this list of 10+ random facts.
1. She has no formal singing training.
A true natural talent!
She started singing at three years old for her church choir at First Free Will Baptist Church. Before American Idol , she had already competed in a few different talent competitions.
2. Before *American Idol*, she had never been on an airplane.
Yep, she truly was the epitome of a small-town Oklahoman girl.
Her first flight was the one to Hollywood during American Idol . It was an experience that she still calls “terrifying.”
3. Haters on *American Idol* caused her to lose weight.
In an interview with Women’s Health Underwood revealed that body-shamers were what kickstarted her health and fitness journey.
For instance, one wrote, “Carrie’s getting fat” on message boards about the show.
“I shouldn’t care what other people think about me,” Carrie told the mag.
But instead of letting the haters get her down, she decided to use their words as motivation.
“I knew I could be better for myself, and I let my haters be my motivators.”
4. She has her own fitness apparel line.
It’s called Calia by Carrie Underwood.
“The inspiration for this line came from my desire to have clothes that seamlessly take me from workouts, to errands, to rehearsals, and beyond,” she wrote in a press release.
5. She’s married to former NHL star Mike Fisher.
The pair were set up on a blind date! Since Carrie was nervous, she suggested that they met backstage at one of her concerts.
“Hot, hot, hot,” is what Carrie texted their mutual friend after meeting Fisher.
In 2010, they had a $500,000 wedding at Georgia’s Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Plantation Resort.
They said their “I dos” in front of 250 guests , including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Simon Cowell.
Carrie’s dog Ace was even their ring bearer. Aww!
6. Balancing motherhood with a thriving career hasn’t been easy for the star.
Carrie and her husband have two children, Isaiah and Jacob.
In an interview with Buzzfeed , she revealed that she once took Jacob on tour with her.
He was only three months old at the time.
“We juggled and managed. It was really hard, but it was good,” she revealed.
“As working moms, we have to do the best we can, and cut ourselves some slack.”
7. She suffered three miscarriages before the birth of her second son.
The singer tearfully revealed this in the Mike and Carrie: God & Country mini-documentary.
While she was angry at God, she didn’t give up hope. Shortly after, she and her husband welcomed their second son, Jacob.
8. She’s an author.
Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong With Fit52Life was born out of her passion for health and fitness.
She’s called it the guide she wished she once had.
It was created alongside her trainer, Eve Overland, and nutritionist, Cara Clark.
In it, the singer provides a plan to help women stay healthy all year-round.
“I love rules,” Carrie told Womens Health about her approach to wellness. “This is how I feel good about myself, and this is how I operate.”
9. Being on *American Idol* counted as a credit toward her degree.
The singer competed — and won — the reality singing competition show, American Idol in 2005.
Since she was earning her Mass Communications degree from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma at the same time, the school counted it.
10. She works hard for those toned legs.
The singer has always been known for two things: her incredible singing and her incredibly toned legs.
But she wasn’t born with them; she works just as hard as everyone else.
“If I can work out seven days a week—which doesn’t happen, but if I can—I’m going to,” she told *Women’s Health*.
Her killer leg workout consists of “six supersets of three moves, each done for three or four sets.”
11. She used to work a couple odd jobs.
Like many celebs who worked normal jobs before they were famous , she did what it took to survive.
She’s worth an estimated $85 million now, but pre-fame, she worked at a gas station and a hotel.
Carrie told Country 102.5 radio station that she ended up as the manager of the hotel on her second day of work.
“There was nobody else working there. I had one day of training and then the next day I came in, and the lady that had worked there the longest and was training me just didn’t show.”
12. She’s incredibly accomplished.
She’s won several prestigious awards, such as the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2007.
She’s also collaborated with some of the country’s biggest names, such as Brad Paisley and Keith Urban.
13. She dated Chace Crawford from *Gossip Girl*.
The pair dated from 2007 to 2008. But their breakup was certainly not conventional, as they broke up via text.
“We broke up over text so… it’s like ‘peace out,'” Carrie told Extra .
