Elin Nordegren was born on 1st January 1980, in Stockholm, Sweden. Nordegren is only moments older than her twin sister, Josfin. The two grew up in Vaxholm, Sweden, a small town outside of Stockholm, with their parents and older brother, Axel. Their father, Thomas Nordegren, is one of Sweden's best-known journalists. Their mother, Barbro Holmberg, has had a distinguished career in public service.
Nordegren played soccer for many years. She spent some time living in Berlin with her father after he landed a job there in 1997. Returning to Sweden, Nordegren was soon discovered by a famous photographer named Bingo Rimer. She appeared on the cover of a Swedish magazine in 2000, wearing a bikini. Nordegren, however, had no great ambitions about becoming a model.
Nordegren worked at a popular clothing store in Stockholm. She was no stranger to hard work, having taken numerous summer jobs in the past to support herself. One day Nordegren met Mia Parnevik, wife of Swedish pro golfer Jesper Parnevik, at the store. Parnevik liked Nordegren, and eventually hired her to be as one of the nannies for the couple's four children.
In 2006, Nordegren became the subject of a false story in an Irish publication. The magazine claimed that she had posed naked, and that images of her appeared on pornographic websites. She and her husband fought these allegations in court, and won. They were awarded $183,250 in the case.