It’s been a little over two-and-a-half years since Dancing With the Stars host Erin Andrews received the life-changing diagnosis of cervical cancer. Now, fully recovered and cancer-free, the vibrant 40-year-old star is sharing how her journey through illness only strengthened her marriage to former professional hockey player Jarrett Stoll.

A Stronger Bond Than Ever

Erin recently sat down with Entertainment Tonight to discuss how her health battle deepened her relationship with Jarrett. “If anything, it brought us even closer together,” she revealed. “Jarrett attended all the doctor’s meetings with me, studying every diagram and sitting through every appointment. He’s a guy who’s all about winning face-offs and penalty kills on the ice, but when it came to my health, he was all business. He’d say, ‘We got this, we got this.’ It made conversations about having children much more real and candid for both of us. His support was incredible.”

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Best part of this whole picture..we’re so happy we were finally seated after waiting for 2 hours 😍🌈🍗 📷: @ashleyphipps7 (oh this is hot)
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From Diagnosis to Determination

Erin was diagnosed with cervical cancer back in September 2016, but she chose not to share her diagnosis publicly until January 2017. It was a secret she struggled to reveal. “I remember thinking, ‘Uh, what?’ That was my initial reaction,” she admitted. “It was football season, and when your doctor calls on a Saturday, you know it’s serious. I remember feeling a wave of numbness wash over me. I couldn’t feel my arms for a moment. I ran out of the conference room I was in, took the call, got my family involved, and I was just like, ‘What are you saying?’ I remember asking my gynecologist at the time, ‘What am I supposed to tell my family?’”

Erin’s first concern was her career. “My initial reaction was shock, fear, and tears, thinking, ‘Does this mean I won’t work this year?’ We had the Super Bowl coming up, and I wanted to cover it. Plus, there was Dancing With the Stars to think about,” she recalled. But as the initial shock wore off, Erin’s problem-solving skills kicked in. “I started thinking, ‘How do we fix this? How do we address it quickly and efficiently?’”

Erin Andrews on the field before a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins — Getty Images

Jarrett's Unwavering Support

Throughout her treatment, Erin leaned heavily on Jarrett for emotional support. “I remember being on the couch after my first surgery, which didn’t go as well as we had hoped,” she shared. “I was bawling my eyes out because I had to catch a red-eye flight that night to Green Bay, Wisconsin, for an interview with Jordy Nelson. There was no way I was going to miss that interview or the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. I was screaming and crying, and Jarrett was right there, saying, ‘It’s okay, babe. We’ll get through this. We’re going to beat this.’”

Now cancer-free, Erin says she feels amazing and credits Jarrett for helping her through one of the toughest times in her life. “My family has been through so much with everything I’ve faced in my life, and they deserve a break,” she said. “Jarrett was an incredible partner during this whole ordeal. It wasn’t easy, but his unwavering support made all the difference.”