Rachel Uchitel, who was Tiger Woods‘ mistress years ago, is stepping forward to tell what happened when she signed a non-disclosure agreement.
It’s become a hot topic since Woods’ ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit to have the NDA she signed negated by a court. Erica Herman, a one-time manager of a Woods-owned restaurant, also alleged that the golfer caused her “extreme emotional damage.” She says he kicked her out of their shared home by tricking her. He encouraged her to take a vacation, she says. Then once she arrived at the airport, she learned she’d been locked out of the house.
Back in 2009, Uchitel made news when people learned she was Tiger Woods’ mistress. At the time, Woods was the father of two young children he shared with then wife, Elin Nordegren. Ten more women came forward to say they were involved with the golfer. He checked himself into rehab to deal with sex addiction. Woods and Nordegren separated in 2010.
Uchitel did an interview with The Daily Mail this week. In a way, she empathized with Herman.
“There was an abusive nature in getting me to sign that (NDA) to keep me quiet,” Uchitel said of her legal dealings with Tiger Woods. “And there was abusiveness in keeping me quiet for 14 years after. But she’s up against a machine now.”
Uchitel Said After Signing NDA to Protect Tiger Woods She Couldn’t Find a Job
Uchitel signed the NDA. And she said in the years since, she couldn’t find a job because of the scandal. She said she declared bankruptcy because Woods kept filing lawsuits.
“‘I will not be gagged, because it is the worst feeling, the worst feeling to have your voice tied and to not be able to tell your side of the story,” Uchitel told the Daily Mail. “In the absence of truth, people make up anything they want, and that is so debilitating. You lose all sense of power, all sense of self-esteem, and people judge you not based on facts.
“It’s not a way to live,” she said. “And it really can ruin your life, and it’s not worth the money. Ever. It was not worth it, because so many of those things said were not true.”
Uchitel said her situation with Herman’s is only similar in that both signed an NDA. But they signed for different reasons. Herman needed to sign her agreement when she started working for Tiger Woods. The relationship came after that. Uchitel said she agreed to sign only after her name became public as his mistress. She said she was pressured to sign one.
“I signed an NDA to cover up bad behavior,” she said.
