“Money doesn’t make you happy, but I have to be honest, it is making some things easier….” jilted Swedish model Elin Nordegren reveals in her first interview with the Sept. 6 edition of PEOPLE Magazine, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

The former wife of adulterous golfer Tiger Woods tells the celebrity weekly that the stress of the sex scandal that romantically-linked Woods to at least a dozen mistresses nearly destroyed her, sending the young mother into a downward spiral that would include weight loss, insomnia, and even thining hair.

After months of silence, Elin dedicated 19 hours and four meetings to the candid chat.

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The Woodses ended their six year marriage in a Florida courtroom on Monday and though she would not disclose how much money she received in the settlement, Elin did confess that she is wealthy enough to stay-at-home and raise the former couple’s two young children — Sam, 3, and Charlie, 19 months. Nonetheless, Elin, a 30-year-old college student, plans to continue working towards her college degree in psychology.

“I have been through the stages of disbelief and shock, to anger and ultimately grief over the loss of the family I so badly wanted for my children,” she say just days after her split from Woods was made official. Despite her husband’s betrayal: “I also feel stronger than I ever have. I have confidence in my beliefs, my decisions and myself.”

The blonde beauty says she was completely taken by surprise when she learned that her famous husband had been bedding a bevy of cocktail waitresses, models, and adult film stars behind her back and “never suspected-not a one.”

Elin On How She’s Coping: “I’ve been through hell. Initially I thought we had a chance and we tried really hard. Without trust and love, it couldn’t work.”

On Tiger’s Legacy: “I wish him all the best in the future, as a person and as an athlete. I know he is going to go down as the best golfer that ever lived, and rightfully so. I feel privileged to have witnessed a part of his golfing career.”

On Dating: “It’s going to take time for me to start dating again. It’s going to be just me and the kids for a while. I believe in love because I’ve been there.”

On Suspicion That She Attacked Tiger With A Golf Club: “There was never any violence inside or outside the home.”

Elin said the interview would be her first and last.