Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher's own romance has the makings of a hit country song.
It was the longest romantic relationship she'd ever had -- and for Carrie Underwood, it would turn out to be the ultimate one.
In November 2009, the American Idol alum paid a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she shared an update on her romance with Mike Fisher, an ice hockey pro playing for the Ottawa Senators at the time. The singer confirmed they had been dating for close to a year at that point, setting a record in her personal life. Despite their long-distance relationship with Fisher in Canada, Underwood assured viewers they saw each other more often than people knew -- but living together was not yet in their plans.
"The next guy I move in with will be my hubby -- whoever that is," she told DeGeneres. "Not saying that it's gonna be him."
Unbeknownst to fans -- and potentially even Underwood -- at that time, it was indeed going to be him. The following month, it was confirmed that the two were engaged and wedding bells rang less than a year later. More than a decade has passed since that fateful day the two said "I do." As Underwood summed up their relationship on their 10th wedding anniversary in 2020, "You’ll grow up to have pretty cool jobs, you’ll meet backstage at some girl’s concert, fall in love, get married, have two amazing boys, and live happily ever after!"
Now, in honor of Underwood's 41st birthday on Sunday, March 10, cue up Underwood's "Ever Ever After" and revisit their love story with ET below.
October 2008: Meet-Cute
As the story goes, it was actually Underwood's musical director and bass player, Mark Childers, who helped connect the singer to Fisher. As Childers recalled to Howard Stern in 2023, he met Fisher through a mutual friend and said the hockey pro wanted to meet the star backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, but Childers "didn't allow it." Though the two did not end up meeting for another year, the athlete was persistent and they finally came face to face at a meet-and-greet in 2008.
December 2008: Kiss at Midnight
After their first meeting, Underwood and Fisher spent a few months talking on the phone before they finally went on their first date -- on New Year's Eve. As Underwood told Howard Stern years later, she invited herself to Fisher's team party and the two shared their first kiss as the clock struck midnight. "Our lives were forever changed from that night on," Underwood wrote on Instagram years later to commemorate the anniversary of their liplock. "I wouldn't change a thing!"
July 2010: Tying the Knot
By the end of 2009, Fisher had proposed with a canary yellow diamond ring. Less than a year later, they exchanged vows at The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds in Georgia on July 10, 2010. "We could not feel more blessed to have found each other and to have shared this day with our friends and family that mean so much to us!" the newlyweds told People in a statement at the time.
2015: Baby Makes Three
During a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2012, Underwood shed a bit of light on their baby plans, telling the talk show host she did not want to have children soon, but when the time did come, she had faith in her husband. "He's gonna be the best dad ever and that makes the whole parent situation seem much, much better," she told Winfrey. Two years later, in September 2014, the singer announced -- with the help of her dogs -- that she and Fisher were expecting their first child together. "In honor of 'Labor' Day, Ace & Penny would like to make an announcement. Their parents couldn't be happier...," she captioned a photo of her with her pups wearing "I'm going to be a big brother" and "big sister" shirts. Six months later, the new parents announced the birth of their firstborn child, a son named Isaiah. "Tiny hands and tiny feet...God has blessed us with an amazing gift! Isaiah Michael Fisher - born on February 27," her Instagram post read. "Welcome to the world, sweet angel!"
2017: Tragedy Strikes
"2017 just wasn’t how I imagined it," Underwood told Tracy Smith, her voice breaking, in an interview for CBS Sunday Morning in 2018. "I had kind of planned that 2017 was gonna be the year that I work on new music and I have a baby." However, as Underwood tearfully revealed, she had secretly suffered three miscarriages between 2017 and 2018. Compounding the years' challenges, she had also suffered a fall at her Nashville home in November 2017 that left her with a broken wrist and facial injuries requiring more than 40 stitches. "I had always been afraid to be angry because we're so blessed and my son Isaiah is the sweetest thing and he's the best thing in the world and I'm like, if we can never have any other kids, that's OK because he's amazing and I have this amazing life," she told Smith. "Really what can I complain about? I can't."
2019: An Answered Prayer
In her 2018 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Underwood recalled fearing she had suffered another miscarriage. While snuggling with her sleeping son, Isaiah, she said she sobbed in bed wondering why she kept getting pregnant to no avail and wished that God would either "shut the door or let me have a kid." "For the first time," she told correspondent Tracy Smith, "I feel like I actually told God how I felt." And, according to Underwood, he had listened. At a doctor's appointment shortly after, she learned she had not miscarried after all and was told everything was actually great with her pregnancy. In August 2018, the couple officially announced they were expecting and Underwood gave birth to a son named Jacob on Jan. 21, 2019. "Jacob Bryan Fisher entered the world in the wee hours of the morning on Monday...his mom, dad and big brother couldn’t be happier for God to trust them with taking care of this little miracle!" the performer captioned her announcement post on Instagram. "Our hearts are full, our eyes are tired and our lives are forever changed. Life is good..."
2020: A Decade Down
In July 2020, the couple officially celebrated 10 years of marriage. "It's been the best 10 years of my life and look forward to many more by your side!," Fisher wrote in an anniversary tribute to his wife on Instagram. "One of the greatest blessings from God is marriage!! It’s not always easy and it’s definitely taught me a lot about myself, my faults and the things I need to work on but man it’s been fun, and rewarding and keeps getting better."
2023: Cheers to 40 Years
In honor of Underwood's 40th birthday in March 2023, Fisher took to Instagram with a rare tribute to his famous wife. As he captioned a photo of bottles of wine lined up in front of her and a cake made out of tiered cheese, "Happy birthday babe!! The boys and I love you so much!!"
RELATED CONTENT:
