It’s easy to forget that the people we see on TV every Sunday have real lives unfolding behind the scenes. For FOX sideline reporter Erin Andrews, the 2025 NFL season was a massive professional success, but privately, it was a total nightmare. She kept her game face on so well that nobody had a clue she was navigating a major family crisis. Now, months after the fact, she has finally decided to share her story and thank the people who helped her get through it.

On an episode of her podcast, Calm Down with Erin and Charissa, Erin got incredibly raw about why she stayed so quiet during the winter. On Christmas Eve last year, her father, Steve, suffered a heart attack right in front of the family. The situation was terrifying and moved incredibly fast. Because they were in Montana, her father had to be rushed to a hospital via a medical helicopter.

“I didn’t discuss this at the time but over Christmas … it was just hellacious and horrible – but it ended up having a great ending. My dad had a heart attack in Montana with us and it was awful,” Andrews said. “And it was right in front of us. I’m very proud of my sister, my mom, [husband] Jarret, and me for springing into crazy town action [and] getting paramedics. My dad was life-flighted to another hospital.

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Erin said the whole thing was honestly a nightmare, but she kept it to herself back then just to keep her head down and focus on her dad’s health and her job. Looking back on it now, she’s just incredibly grateful for the doctors and the friends who stepped up for her family when things got really scary. 

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“It was a lot, and I was at the time just beyond grateful for the care my dad received – from the firefighters and the helicopter to the people in Bozeman hospital who took care of him. So, it’s been a lot for us the last three months,” she added.

But that wasn’t it. Shortly after the family’s first scare, they faced another difficult test. Erin’s father began showing symptoms of a heart attack again and had to be rushed back to the hospital. Thankfully, he is doing well now because he was in the care of excellent medical professionals.

Erin noticed that these experts worked tirelessly, even through holidays, without much time to rest. Because of this, she felt it was very important to show them some appreciation. Especially when one can’t be there to watch over their family, it means the world to treat the people who are looking after them on your behalf.

On the podcast, she took a moment to give a heartfelt shout-out to the nursing team at the cardiac unit. She was also incredibly vocal about her gratitude for the Brandon Hospital staff and the transport team, the people who truly stepped up to save her father’s life.

But it wasn’t all good news; she also shared the heavy news that a dear member of her family had passed away recently.

Erin Andrews feels thankful to have spent time with her grandmother 

After the recent health scare involving their father, Erin Andrews and her sister have decided to take a proactive approach to their own health. They are undergoing medical screenings to determine if their family’s history of cardiovascular disease is hereditary. 

While Erin is incredibly grateful that her father is still with her, the experience served as a wake-up call to stay ahead of potential genetic risks.

The family has also been navigating a difficult loss. Erin shared that her paternal grandmother passed away last week. She was actually with her father when he received the news, a moment that she described as deeply emotional. 

“My grandma passed away. And it was while I was there with my dad, and my dad got the phone call that his mom had passed away,” she explained. “And I feel, I’m not going to cry about it, but it’s like, I feel grateful that I’m 44 years old.”

Erin expressed gratitude for having had 44 years to spend with her grandmother, who was her last living grandparent.

Reflecting on these events, the sports commentator emphasized the vital importance of having a ‘patient advocate,’ someone to stand up for a loved one during a medical crisis. Erin believes that nobody should have to go through a health crisis alone, whether it’s a patient’s relative or a medical team that treats their patients like their own. The main point is to have someone in one’s corner, which makes all the difference when one is navigating the healthcare system.