QUARTERBACK Matthew Stafford’s wife had a terrifying health scare when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Here’s what we know about the podcaster and how she is doing after having a 12 hour op in 2019.
Kelly Stafford has been married to NFL star Matthew since 2015[/caption]Who is Matthew Stafford’s wife Kelly?
Kelly Stafford was born in 1989.
She is the sister of former NFL player and Buffalo Bills wide receivers coach Chad Hall.
Kelly married Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford, in 2015.
She met the NFL star when he was a quarterback for the University of Georgia, before he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2009.
At the time Kelly was on the cheerleading squad.
In 2024, she revealed that at first Matthew was keen to keep their relationship casual, so she dated the quarterbackbackup to “p** him off”.
The happily-married pair moved to Los Angeles in 2021 after Matthew signing for the Rams.
The pair have four children together, twins Chandler and Sawyer, Hunter Hope and Tyler.
In April 2024, Matthew and Kelly bought a new $28million property in Hidden Hills.
Kelly is a successful podcaster, hosting The Morning After with best mate Hank Winchester since September 2021.
What kind of brain tumor did Kelly Stafford have?
Before the birth of her fourth child, Tyler, on June 26, 2020, mom Kelly was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, acoustic neuroma.
This type of tumor is benign and grows on the nerve used for hearing and balance.
It can cause problems such as hearing loss and unsteadiness.
It is non-cancerous and does not spread to other parts of the body.
Kelly revealed her diagnosis to her Instagram followers on April 3, 2019.
She told her followers she had been feeling dizzy for some time and lightheaded when she would try to do her regular daily activities.
Doctors prescribed her vertigo medication but the condition persisted and eventually scheduled an MRI to see what was really going on.
She shared: “I had a tumor sitting on some of my cranial nerves.
“The medical term they used was an acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma..
“All I heard was brain tumor & that they had to do surgery to take it out.. so that is what we are going to do & we believe we found the best doctor to do it.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t completely terrified of brain surgery. I am. I am terrified of them opening my head, I’m terrified of losing my hearing, I’m terrified of losing facial function, I’m terrified of far worse things that could happen and I’m terrified that I won’t take the time I need to recover because the guilt I might feel of being absent from my kids for too long.”
Every day, Matthew would come and help me out of bed, walk to the sink, brush my teeth
Kelly Stafford on her op recoveryKelly underwent a 12-hour surgery on April 17, 2019. and remained in hospital for a week before being discharged.
Afterwards, Kelly revealed that the surgeons who operated on her found an “abnormal vein”.
Kelly went home and soon realized she needed special attention and help to perform daily tasks such as brushing her teeth and walking.
She admitted: “The hardest part about it was coming home to a quiet home, I knew that’s what I needed and I knew that’s what the doctor said I needed.
“But when you go through this, the first thing I want to see are my kids.
“I’m re-learning how to move again. There would be nothing I could do for them. Except for sit there and watch them.
“So I knew that was what I needed and it wasn’t what I wanted.”
April, 17, 2019, is the yearly reminder that I only get one life on this earth and to just enjoy it
Kelly StaffordShe added: “Every day, Matthew would come and help me out of bed, walk to the sink, brush my teeth.”
Kelly recovered after months of rest and help from Matthew, saying that she feels “amazing” and is slowly but surely getting back to her old self.
Since her surgery, Kelly, just like her husband, is getting used to something new.
In 2021, she starting her own podcast, The Morning After with Kelly Stafford.
On the show she discussed the November 2021 incident where she allegedly threw a soft pretzel at a San Francisco 49ers fan and gets real about her family and relationship with Matthew.
Kelly remembers her surgery in a social media post every year.
In 2023 she posted: “April 17, 2019. A date that, four years later, I look forward to.
“It’s the yearly reminder that I only get one life on this earth and to just enjoy it.. and if ever something challenging or tough comes my way, to rely on the strength God gave me and the ones I love.. because in the end, it’s how you respond to those moments that builds character.
“So thank you April 17 for helping mold the woman, wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend and everything else, that I am today.”
Who is Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford?
Matthew Stafford is a football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams.
He attended the University of Georgia where he was an All-American and was selected first overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft.
He was signed over to the Los Angeles Rams in early 2021.
Stafford was born in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, 1988.
Growing up he also lived in Georgia and Texas. He has one younger sibling, a sister named, Page.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Stafford’s net worth is estimated to be nearly $150million.