Carrie Underwood's 2017 Injury Left Her With 40 Stitches in Her Face—What Happened
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Carrie Underwood injured her wrist and face when she fell while walking her dogs in 2017.
After 40+ stitches in her face, the singer told fans she "might look a bit different."
After the accident, a scar running from lip to her nose can be seen.
In 2017, Carrie Underwood revealed that she was injured in an accident outside her home. She had to have surgery as well as up to 50 stitches on her face, after breaking her wrist and suffering several cuts. After the injury, Underwood took a break from the stage and from showing her full face in social media photos. But that all changed at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards, where the singer performed her new single for the first time.
Fans of the country music star got their first glimpse of Underwood—and she looked gorgeous (though she did get visibly emotional during the performance). Here's everything you need to know about her injury.
She fell on the steps outside her house.
A week after hosting the Country Music Association Awards for the 10th year in a row alongside Brad Paisley, Underwood revealed that she fell outside on the steps of her home and had multiple injuries. According to the Tennessean, none of the injuries were life-threatening and they included a broken wrist, cuts, and abrasions. As a result, Underwood cancelled her performance at the Country Rising benefit concert, which raised money for victims of the Las Vegas shooting and those affected by Hurricane Maria.
Underwood later posted a tweet saying, "Thanks so much for all the well wishes everybody...I’ll be alright...might just take some time...glad I’ve got the best hubby in the world to take care of me."
Thanks so much for all the well wishes everybody...I’ll be alright...might just take some time...glad I’ve got the best hubby in the world to take care of me.
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) November 12, 2017
Though she had previously kept the details of her accident private, Underwood recently revealed exactly how she fell—and it could happen to anyone. "I was taking the dogs out and I just, I tripped," she said on The Bobby Bones podcast, according to OneCountry.com. "There was one step and I didn’t let go of the leashes. Priorities!"
She broke her wrist and required surgery.
A few days later, Underwood revealed that she had undergone surgery due to her broken wrist. "I just wanted let everyone know that I’m doing great. Had surgery on my wrist yesterday & all went well...even though I’ll be setting off airport metal detectors from now on...I’m so thankful for the doctors, nurses, family & friends who’ve been taking such great care of me," she posted on Twitter.
I just wanted let everyone know that I’m doing great. Had surgery on my wrist yesterday & all went well...even though I’ll be setting off airport metal detectors from now on...I’m so thankful for the doctors, nurses, family & friends who’ve been taking such great care of me.
— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) November 15, 2017
She also posted an X-ray of her wrist on Instagram, announcing that she has been going through physical therapy to bring it back to what it used to be. According to her post, she is now good to go.
"It set me back," Underwood admitted on The Bobby Bones podcast in April. "The most frustrating part was trying to work out with a broken wrist and how much it can throw off your world, having an appendage that’s there, but you can’t use.”
She needed at least 40 stitches on her face:
Underwood shared that she also needed 40 to 50 stitches on her face after the accident. According to People, Underwood posted a special update on her fan club website where she revealed that she may look different to her fans due to the stitches that were needed.
"When I am ready to get in front of a camera, I want you all to understand why I might look a bit different,” she wrote.
Since then, she had been covering her face in photos.
A fan spotted her, and she looked great.
Before she had announced that she had gotten stitches, Adrienne Gang posted a photo on Twitter of her with Underwood after a workout on December 12. While her whole face wasn't shown, it showed that Underwood's face stitches were out by then and they didn't seem to leave a mark on the areas that were shown in the photo.
Just worked out next to @carrieunderwood NBD... she is adorable and so gracious... LOVE HER! #BelowDeck pic.twitter.com/scDPGudEe3
— Adrienne Gang (@AdrienneGang) December 12, 2017
She gave hints of new music.
Despite the photo with Gang, Underwood still continued to hide her face in photos including her big announcement where she shared that she was back in the studio recording music.
Two days later, Underwood posted another photo of herself, this time one of her singing along with some of her bandmates. It's the first photo that she posted of herself showing her full face, however, the shot is from a distance making it hard to see if there any visible differences.
She returned to the recording studio.
Underwood later posted another photo, this time of just her eye, to announce her new single, which she released on April 11. Later that day, the American Country Music awards announced that Underwood would be performing her new single, "Cry Pretty," for the first time during their ceremony on April 15.
Just announced! @CarrieUnderwood will perform her soon-to-be-released single LIVE for the first time on the 53rd #ACMawards THIS SUNDAY at 8/7c on @CBS! pic.twitter.com/7OYJB5jQvA
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) April 9, 2018
Underwood posted a special note to her fans along with the new title of the single on her blog. She also publicly gave an update on her healing progress.
"First off, physically, I’m doing pretty darn good these days! My wrist is almost back to normal, about 90% there…and the docs say that last 10% will come in time," she wrote. "And my face has been healing pretty nicely as well. I definitely feel more like myself than I have in a while."
Underwood's first public performance after the accident.
The day before the 2018 ACM Awards, Underwood snapped a selfie and wrote that she "Had a great rehearsal" and "can't wait."
When the singer took the stage the next day, she looked gorgeous as ever—though she did get visibly emotional during her first public performance since the accident.
That night, she was also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year (which went to Miranda Lambert), and she and Keith Urban took home the award for Vocal Event of the Year.
She reveals a scar that runs from her lip to her nose.
No signs of Underwood's injury were visible while she performed at the ACM Awards—but a scar could be seen in the days following during her first interview since the accident. The singer stopped by The Bobby Bones Show and revealed a first glimpse at the scar on her face. You can see it in the video below:
A few days later, the singer posted her first close-up selfie since opening up about the accident. The scar was even more visible this time—but Underwood still looked gorgeous.
She hasn't lost her sense of humor.
Underwood shared a sweet video to her Instagram story while riding in the car with her husband, proving she still has her sense of humor after the accident. The video—which was the first close-up footage she's shared since her fall—playfully made fun of her husband for his "annoying" behavior.
Looking directly at the camera, the singer whispered “help me,” while her husband appeared to repeatedly make a squealing noise into his hands while he drove.
“Must we? So annoying,” she wrote on the video.
She says "life is good" now.
After months of staying out of the spotlight, it seems like Underwood has fully returned to her normal life. The singer shared a sweet montage of her recent family trip to Instagram, with pictures of her son and her husband during their visit to Napa Valley, CA.
Underwood didn't mention why she and her family traveled to the West Coast, but whether it was for work or pleasure, it sounded like a dream:
Amazing wine, beautiful scenery, wonderful friends, new places and a yummy dinner created by @chefchiarello and his apprentice, Isaiah Fisher! And that was just the first day here! Life is good...
Years later, the mom of two is back to performing and will soon return to American Idol as host.
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