16 Facts We Definitely Didn't Know About Carrie Underwood

It's hard to believe just how long Carrie Underwood has been in the music industry. It seems like just yesterday she was a fresh-faced Oklahoma girl trying out for American Idol, and now, she's a country superstar with a string of endless hits under her belt and more to come.

As many fans will know, Underwood went through a bit of drama last November - the gorgeous songstress apparently tumbled down the steps of her home in Nashville, and ended up majorly injured. She broke her wrist, but perhaps more importantly for someone who is constantly photographed, she apparently had 40 to 50 stitches on her face. She didn't go into the details of her injury, and just said that she may not quite look the same, even when everything was completely healed.

Now, Underwood is gorgeous and talented with a fantastic personality, so even if her face looked dramatically different, her fans would still support her. However, it probably feels pretty tough to deal with when you know you're in an industry where you're always in front of the camera. In honour of Carrie Underwood's recovery and honesty, we've compiled a list of 15 things you may not know about the successful southern songbird.

16 Many Are Calling Her Out And Saying She's Lying About Getting Plastic Surgery

A lot of people are suspicious based on one particular photo, shared by a fan on Twitter. Apparently, the fan ended up working out alongside Carrie Underwood about a month after her accident, and asked the star to take a picture with her. Underwood obliged, and she looks… well, totally fine. Now, because of the angle, you can't see one side of her face. Since Underwood wasn't specific about exactly what kind of facial injuries she received, there's a definite possibility that she fell on the side of her face that isn't captured by the camera. However, many fans are kind of questioning her whole excuse. The sheer fact that she phrased it in a way that implied her face might look 'different' - not scarred, but just different in some ambiguous way - is a little questionable.

15 She Got College Credit For Appearing On American Idol

Before her dream of being a singer became a reality, Underwood was in school studying mass communications, and thought she might be a reporter or anchor on the news. Apparently, individuals in her program of study had to line up some kind of internship to see what being on television was truly all about and to get an inside look at things, but Underwood never have to worry about finding a news station that had room for an intern. That's because her time on American Idol ended up counting as her internship. It sounds a little too good to be true, but if you stop to think of how much time she spent on set, behind the scenes, in front of the camera, seeing how it all worked, it makes total sense.

14 She Has A Communications/Journalism Degree

Plenty of aspiring musicians just jump right into their dream, attempting to make it work while working as a waitress or barista on the side. Underwood had a slightly different approach. Despite her amazing voice, she kind of gave up on the idea of being a singer by the time she was in college, and figured it made sense to pursue a regular career. So, she got a degree in Communications from Northeastern State University - mass communication in particular, with an emphasis in journalism. Perhaps all those years training to be on the other side of the camera are responsible for why she's always so poised and eloquent during her media appearances. Still - it's strange the way things work out. Who would have guessed she'd end up on the opposite side of where she thought she'd be?

13 Before American Idol, She Had Never Been On A Plane

Part of Carrie Underwood's charm when the world first met her on television was that she was just a humble small town farm girl. She spent almost all her time in Oklahoma, and in fact, had never even been on a plane before she made it to the Hollywood round of American Idol. However, she quickly began to make up for lost time - part of the prize for winning included use of a private jet for a year, which meant she started racking up the frequent flyer miles almost immediately. Now, she's likely constantly hopping on planes to head to the next tour destination, talk show appearance, etc. We bet she never would have guessed she'd become such a seasoned veteran when it came to air travel, back when she hadn't even stepped foot on a plane.

12 She Only Drinks Three Things

Okay, this is a fun little quirk of her personality - while she eats a huge variety of veggies and other foods, when it comes to her beverages, Underwood apparently only drinks three things. As she shared, she only drinks water, coffee, and red wine - not a bad mix of things. Water is a necessity for everyone, and has a huge positive impact on your health. Coffee is a fantastic jump start and energy boost, as well as a great hot beverage to linger over with a friend. And red wine, well - everyone needs to indulge every now and then. We'd happily sit with either one of these beverages and chat with Underwood for hours - she just always seems like she'd be so down to earth and kind to anyone she meets.

11 Her Wedding To Mike Fisher Cost A Whopping $500,000

When it comes to relationships and marriages in the entertainment industry, many stars gravitate towards those in their own corner of the industry. Actors marry actors, country stars marry country stars, etc. However, Carrie Underwood didn't fall for a handsome crooner in a cowboy hat - she fell in love with a professional hockey player. In a way, their jobs are more similar than you might think - both have demanding careers, travel frequently, and have tons of demands placed upon them by fans and the press and all that. Plus, with two super-sized stars comes the potential for a super-sized wedding. While there have certainly been more lavish celeb nuptials, a half a million dollar wedding is still pretty insane and over the top. Luckily, it wasn't for nothing - the two are still together today, which is an accomplishment in an industry known for being tough on relationships.

10 She's A Huge Neat Freak

It can be kind of intriguing to imagine what a celebrity's home looks like in the moment it's not being photographed for a magazine spread or something similar. Do they always live in a home that seems worthy of a decor feature, or are they kind of messy like many regular people? Well, you'll likely never walk into Underwood's home and be faced with a mess, even if you pop in unexpectedly, because it turns out the country cutie is a major neat freak. She's confessed to the quirk, saying "I can't function during the day if I know my bed is not made. It will be all I think about throughout the day until it's actually made. My refrigerator is extremely organized. Everything is showing the labels and is arranged in perfect rows."

9 She Had A Black Eye At Her High School Graduation

We can't imagine Carrie Underwood looked anything other than completely gorgeous at her high school graduation, but apparently she had a bit of a wrench in her beauty plans at the last minute. Underwood, who actually gave the salutatorian speech during her graduation from Checotah High School, ended up having to go to graduation with a black eye. She got slugged in the face during a softball game and got a shiner that just wouldn't go away. There's a lot that can be done with make-up, but apparently the naturally gorgeous Underwood just wasn't a pro when it came to concealer. Hey, 2001 was a different time - we didn't have YouTube tutorials walking us through even the most complicated of make-up looks! We bet she still looked absolutely stunning, despite the shiner.

8 She Used To Work At A Pizza Joint

Underwood became famous at a relatively young age - in her 20s - so it can be tough to imagine what she was doing before she was belting out her hit songs on stages around the world. It turns out, back when she was just a young woman trying to pay her rent, Underwood worked as a waitress at a pizza joint back in Oklahoma. Far more celebrities have worked service industry roles than you may have thought! Nowadays, she has a very clean and healthy diet to stay looking and feeling her best for her performances, but we can't help but wonder if all that time working at a pizza joint has made her particularly fond of the cheesy, carb-filled treat. Or, perhaps it's made her immune to pizza's charms entirely.

7 She's Been A Vegetarian For Over 20 Years

Most people who know even the slightest bit about Carrie Underwood know that she's a huge animal lover. She's been outspoken about her passion for animals for years, so it probably comes as no surprise that she's a vegetarian. However, you may be a little shocked to hear that she's actually been a vegetarian for over 20 years, since she was 13 years old. Apparently, a teenage Carrie Underwood decided she could no longer eat the creatures she loved so much, and she hasn't wavered in her belief since. That kind of dedication to a cause is impressive - if she ever decides that the hustle and bustle of the entertainment industry gets a bit too tiring to deal with, perhaps she can launch a second career that has something to do with animals.

6 She's A Huge Fan Of Horror - Movies, Books, Anything

Given her bubbly personality and positive attitude, we would have guessed that Carrie Underwood was a fan of comedies, or perhaps even classic films. However, that couldn't be farther from the truth. It turns out the superstar is actually a huge fan of the horror genre. From Stephen King's spooky books to the latest horror blockbuster that has you peeking through your fingers even to watch the trailer, she's obsessed. We have to admit, we never would have seen that one coming - we'd love to catch a horror flick with her at the theatre. It just goes to show that people have more sides to their personality than you may initially think - we wonder if Underwood has a horror-loving girlfriend who is her movie date for every new scary flick that hits the theatres, or if she drags hubby Mike Fisher along.

5 She Loves The Smell Of Skunks

Speaking of loving animals, this is a bit of a weird personality trait. Now, everyone has a different opinion when it comes to scents - some people absolutely love certain scents, while others hate them. However, there are a few scents that are almost universally loathed - and the pungent smell of skunk is one of them. Everyone who has ever smelled the noxious odor will remember it, and anyone who has ever been sprayed or had their pet sprayed will know just how tough it is to get that powerful smell to go away. However, note that we said almost universally loathed - it turns out Carrie Underwood is one of the few people in the world who actually likes the smell of skunk. We'll chalk this one up to her country girl roots.

4 She Absolutely Hates Valentine's Day

For people in a relationship, Valentine's Day can be a lot of pressure. There's a ton of messaging out there that tells everyone they need to plan some huge romantic date night and give an amazing gift and basically just make that day the best day in their partner's life. However, Carrie Underwood is one of those people that just doesn't buy into that. She loves her hubby and likely loves their date night adventures, but she's gone on the record to say that she strongly dislikes Valentine's Day. We're definitely on her side on this one - while the sentiment of showing your partner your appreciation is a nice one, all the commercial pressure and fanfare is a little too much. Although we have no doubt Mike Fisher still spoils her on the romantic holiday!

3 She Was Offered Her First Record Deal At Just 14 (Though It Fell Through)

The spark that started Carrie Underwood's mainstream success was her appearance on reality singing show American Idol. However, there are plenty of Idol winners who go on to virtually disappear, or have super minor musical careers. Underwood was one of the few that managed to use her reality show win as a stepping stone to bigger things, and now she's a major force in the country music industry. However, it turns out, Idol wasn't her first taste of success. When she was just 14 years old, she actually was offered a recording deal by Capitol Records. Things didn't end up working out - the deal was cancelled after a management change at the company - but it proved she definitely had something special. Underwood even said that "it's a lot better that nothing came out of it, because I wouldn't have been ready then."

2 In Seventh Grade, She Was In The Jonathan Taylor Thomas Fan Club

While he's largely been out of the public eye and just living a normal life for years now, back in his younger years, Jonathan Taylor Thomas was basically the definition of a heartthrob. Teen girls around the world were obsessed with the actor and his good looks and his adorable dimples. And, it turns out, Carrie Underwood wasn't immune to JTT-mania. As a seventh grade student in Oklahoma, a young Underwood was actually a member of the Jonathan Taylor Thomas fan club, which is adorable. We wonder if she'd ever reveal that little tidbit to him if she ever met him on a red carpet event - we're sure he'd be majorly flattered to learn he had such a talented celebrity friend! Perhaps she could pen a JTT fan club song.

1 At 26, She Became The Youngest Member Of The Grand Ole Opry

Even if you're not a fan of country music whatsoever, chances are you know that the Grand Ole Opry is a majorly big deal. While many artists have performed on the stage as guests, actual Opry members are a much smaller group. It's a hugely prestigious honour to be inducted into the Opry, and there are countless country stars who haven't yet had that opportunity, despite having received a fair amount of success. Well, Carrie Underwood is in the Opry's ranks - and it turns out, she's actually the youngest member, which is an even more incredible accomplishment. She was inducted way back in 2008 by country legend Garth Brooks, when she was just 28 years old. We wonder if she's doing anything to celebrate her 10th anniversary of being an Opry member this year.