NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford’s, 33, wife Kelly, 30, revealed in April 2019 that she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She opened up about learning the diagnosis and the fear that it gave her on Instagram, sharing a photo of the MRI of her tumor. She had surgery to have it removed shortly after. While battling a tumor is definitely a frightening experience, Kelly told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview that her husband was an “amazing caregiver” to her, and it made their bond stronger.
The quarterback’s wife explained that Matthew was a rock for her while going through the “scariest” experience of both of their lives. Kelly said that she got “chills” thinking back on it. “I can’t say enough good things about how he handled everything from diagnosis to rehab after the tumor got removed,” she said. “It is now something we look back on and realize how much, as individuals and as a family. We are definitely stronger for it.”
Matthew and Kelly had to go through the harrowing experience of a tumor, all while raising four daughters: Chandler, 4, Sawyer, 4, Hunter, 3, and Tyler, 1. Tyler was born in June 2020, after Kelly first announced that she’d been diagnosed with the tumor. Kelly said she and her husband want the girls to explore their passions. “We will keep putting them in everything, sports, arts, music, so that they can find what they really love,” she explained.
When it comes to raising four kids, Kelly also advised making sure you can go with the flow, or have a partner that can do so. “Marry someone patient, if you aren’t patient yourself. Be okay with a lot of noise. With four, there is always going to be some sort of fighting, and Matthew and I always try to make them settle it amongst themselves. We like to promote independence,” she told HollywoodLife.
In addition to her little girls, Kelly spoke about Queer Eye’s Tan France’s campaign with the female-founded formula company Bobbie. She said that it’s been a massive help in getting formula for her girls that she felt matched her standards but also helped spark an “overdue” conversation about the stigma-surrounding formula. “Now there is a company with European standards, but that is also FDA approved,” she said, explaining that she was proud to be a part of the campaign. “I love what this company stands for. This campaign they are doing isn’t about selling their formula, it is about changing the conversation and the stigma that surrounds formula.”