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Gisele Bündchen Makes Rare Comment About "Quieter Life" in Boston During Tom Brady Marriage
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen didn't just wake up one morning to find themselves in the end zone.
"That takes years to happen," Bündchen told Vanity Fair in 2023 about the unraveling of her marriage to the seven-time Super Bowl winner, which many assumed occurred within a matter of months in the wake of his March 2022 decision to play at least one more season in the NFL.
After all, he infamously made that decision barely a month after announcing his retirement when he was only 44.
But while their past tangles over Brady's single-minded devotion to his sport were well-documented—"She didn't feel like I was doing my part for the family," he admitted on The Howard Stern Show in 2020, "and she felt like I would play football all season and she would take care of the house"—Bündchen pushed back against the notion that she wasn't supportive of his dreams.
Not least because living happily ever after with Brady and their kids Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13, plus his son Jack, 19, with ex Bridget Moynahan, had been her dream.
"You give a hundred percent of yourself," she reflected, "and it’s heartbreaking when it doesn’t end up the way you hoped for, and worked for, but you can only do your part.”
The 46-year-old went on to welcome a son with partner Joaquim Valente in February 2025. "This year brought deep lessons and profound growth," she wrote on Instagram Dec. 31. "Becoming a mother again reshaped everything—my time, my priorities, my heart."
Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images
As for Brady, who's now a lead NFL analyst for Fox, he hasn't said as much publicly about his divorce, but he did acknowledge that what turned out to be his final season as a player was "tough."
"I had a lot of, you know, just a personal, family issue, and it was a challenge," the 49-year-old, who played his final three seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after spending 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, said on The Herd in January. "It just took a lot out of me in terms of, you know, my ability to continue to play."
And according to Lars Anderson’s new book, Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness, out Sept. 29, Brady threw a Hail Mary when he sensed time was running out.
In the summer of 2022, he asked for an extended leave from training camp to take care of a personal matter, per Anderson, and only a few people on the Bucs knew he was going to the Bahamas with Bündchen in an attempt to work on their marriage. (Coach Todd Bowles cryptically told reporters that August that the star quarterback was "going to deal with some personal things.")
Brady returned to camp 11 days later. Tight end coach Rick Christophel told Anderson, “You could tell that some very serious things were bothering him. He was always gracious to everyone, but his mental state was not good. He was constantly thinking of his family.”
E! News has reached out to reps for Brady and Bündchen for comment on the details in Anderson's book.
Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images
While Bündchen later told Vanity Fair that the idea that she left Brady because he wanted to play one more season was "the craziest thing" she'd ever heard, she had indicated that her needs weren't being met.
"I have my concerns," she told Elle in a story published Sept. 13, a month after Brady took his then-unexplained absence from training camp. Football "is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present. I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again."
However, she noted, it was his decision to keep playing and "he needs to follow his joy, too."
When Brady announced that he wasn't retiring after all, he said, "I have realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it's not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. Without them, none of this is possible."
Yet Bündchen's absence from Brady's cheering section as the 2022-2023 NFL season got underway was duly noted, and they announced Oct. 28 that not only had they split up, but their divorce was finalized.
In respective statements posted to their Instagram Stories, they both expressed gratitude for the time they spent together and emphasized their commitment to co-parenting.
Karwai Tang/Getty Images
On the 2018 Facebook Watch docuseries Tom vs. Time, Brady compared the end of football season every year to a "crash landing," going from spending 10 to 12 hours a day training, practicing and playing to not having anywhere pressing to be. But, as Bündchen held court in the clean-eating kitchen of their 14,000-square-foot mansion in Brookline, Mass., he noted that it was nice to be home before his children went to bed and when they woke up in the morning.
And Brady said on The Herd in January that, when he finally did retire in 2023, "I wanted to spend time with my kids. I felt like, 'OK, now it’s time for me to be at all my kids' games. They’ve been to enough of their dad’s games.'"
But he finished short of the goal line with Bündchen, who assured that whatever had been speculated about their breakup was only "one piece of a bigger puzzle."
"Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart,” she told Vanity Fair. They wanted the same things when they met, but, "as time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make. That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person."
Read on for more details about Brady and Bündchen's family:
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Tom Brady
Few quarterbacks have tackled what Tom Brady has achieved.
During his 23 seasons in the league—20 with the New England Patriots and three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—the athlete won seven Super Bowls. And after retiring and then unretiring in 2022, he hung up his helmet for good the following year.
But his favorite teammates in life are his children. Tom shares son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan (the two split in 2006 after almost three years of dating) and kids Benjamin and Vivian with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen (the pair divorced in 2022 after 13 years of marriage).
"Spending time with my kids is a great thing for me," the sports broadcaster told E! News in 2023. "They bring so much to my life, and they add so much joy and energy and life and intensity and maturity. You see them mature in different ways, and I just want to be there to support them as best I can."
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Bridget Moynahan
As a star on Blue Bloods for more than a decade, Bridget knows a thing or two about drama. But the media frenzy she faced in 2007 after the world learned she was pregnant with Tom’s child—months after their relationship ended and his romance with Gisele began—was a whole different level.
"I would have cars following me, and men hiding in the bushes outside my house," the actress recalled to People in 2019. "As a new mother, you want to just protect your child. That kind of attention felt like a threat."
Because after Jack arrived in August 2007, she, Tom and Gisele eventually settled in to a co-parenting rhythm.
"Tom and I made a decision to raise a child together and we both found partners that not only supported us in raising that child, but also loved our child as if he was their own," Bridget added. "I don't think you can ask for more than that. My son is surrounded by love."
Instagram / Bridget Moynahan
Andrew Frankel
For Bridget, her most valuable teammate is Andrew Frankel. The I, Robot star wed the businessman in 2015, becoming stepmom to his three sons.
"What I learned was sometimes you have to fish in another pond, as the saying goes," Bridget told Glamour in 2021. "I had been dating people in the industry. I met a really solid, good human being with none of the pretension or all that other litter. He's a really good person and a good partner. I don't think as a younger person I understood what that meant when it pertains to real-life situations."
Tom Brady/Instagram
Jack
John Edward Thomas Moynahan (a.k.a. Jack) entered the world in August 2007.
"You have changed our lives since the day you were born," Tom wrote on Instagram for Jack's 16th birthday in 2023, "and everyday since has been such a blessing for everyone who knows you and is lucky to have you in their life."
In fact, Gisele—who's called Jack her "bonus child"—has shared how his arrival led her and Tom to reevaluate their timeline for growing their family.
"I credit Jack with accelerating Tom's and my growing up in so many ways," she wrote in her 2018 book Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life. "The two of us agreed that Jack should have siblings closer to his own age, and not 10 years younger. With Jack in our lives, our priorities definitely started to shift."
And while Jack is athletic like his dad (though it appears he's more into basketball and lacrosse), his parents have made it clear they want him to pursue his own path.
"He’s kind of like that normal kid who doesn’t really know what he wants to do yet, and I think that’s OK," Bridget said on Live With Kelly and Mark in 2023. "I certainly don’t want to put any pressure on him to do what I do or what his father does."
James Devaney/GC Images
Gisele Bündchen
After being set up on a blind date in December 2006, Gisele and Tom wed in February 2009. The Brazilian supermodel and the football pro welcomed son Benjamin at the end of that year followed by daughter Vivian in 2012.
And after years of ruling the runway, Gisele took a step back to focus on her family.
"My world was them," the fashion icon told Vanity Fair in 2023. "Do you know how grateful I am that I got that time for myself? I breastfed my kids until they were almost 2 years old. I was taking them to school every day. I was making them breakfast, lunch… I was there."
Though it was game over for Gisele and Tom when they divorced in October 2022, she called foul on rumors they split because he reversed his 2022 retirement and played for one last season. "It's not so black and white," she insisted to the magazine, sharing that they'd simply grown apart.
After the breakup, Gisele grew closer to family jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente. And in February 2025, the couple added to their roster by welcoming their first baby.
Instagram / Gisele Bündchen
Benjamin
Born in December 2009, Benjamin Rein Brady (a.k.a. Benny) is Tom and Gisele's son.
"I’m so proud of the young man you are..." the NFL alum wrote on Instagram for Benny's 15th birthday in 2024. "You’re a student, artist, athlete, musician, and teammate… but most of all you’re the best brother and son anyone could ask for. You pour so much into everything you do, and it shows in the way you inspire others around you."
And just like his dad, Benny has developed a love of football.
"I've been throwing the ball to him in the backyard. He's gonna be a little beast," Tom shared on a 2023 episode of Let's Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray. "He's an amazing kid and he's got a lot of talents. He's a really talented musician and artist. And then he told me this year, 'Dad, I'm playing football.'"
Instagram / Tom Brady
Vivian
While Vivian Lake Brady was born back in December 2012, to her dad, she'll be his "forever baby girl."
"Watching you grow and chase after your dreams are the proudest moments of my life," Tom wrote on Instagram for her 12th birthday in 2024. "Your love, compassion, and joy fill up every room that you’re in, and will always make your daddy smile. You light up my life!"
And yes, you can see the family resemblance between Vivian and Gisele (so much so, in fact, Vanity Fair noted Vivi can unlock her mom's phone using Face ID). Take one look at the Nourish author's Instagram and you'll see photos of the duo horseback riding and practicing yoga.
"I am so proud of you in every way," Gisele wrote on Instagram in 2023. "Thank you for making my life so much brighter! Te amo muito."
Instagram / Valente Brothers
Joaquim Valente
Initially, Gisele insisted her relationship with Joaquim was strictly platonic.
"I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I’m divorced, I’m sure that they’re going to try to attach me to anything," she told Vanity Fair in 2023 before then praising the jiu-jitsu instructor and his brothers. "I’m so grateful to know all of them, because not only have they helped me and helped my kids, but they have become great friends, and Joaquim especially. He’s our teacher and, most importantly, he’s a person that I admire and that I trust. It’s so good to have that kind of energy, to have my kids around that type of energy."
But eventually, their friendship turned into something more.
"This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first," she told The New York Times in March 2024 without naming names. "It’s very different. It is very honest, and it’s very transparent."
However, she shot down any accusations she cheated on Tom during their marriage and noted, "That is a lie."
While Joaquim and Gisele have occasionally been spotted showing PDA on the beach, they keep most of their life together private. But they're in it for good, reportedly tying the knot in a small wedding ceremony in Florida in December 2025.
Instagram / Gisele Bundchen
Gisele and Joaquim's Baby
Another part of their life they've kept private? Their little one.
In fact, Gisele and Joaquim have yet to reveal the baby's name since welcoming the child in early 2025. However, she has offered a few peeks at their bundle of joy, such as by sharing a photo of the baby wearing an "I Heart Mom" onesie on Mother's Day 2025.
"I’ve been quiet over here but very busy living life.." she wrote on Instagram. "Sometimes, the most beautiful moments aren’t shared—they’re simply lived. Lately, I’ve been embracing the slower rhythms, the real connections, the beauty in the lessons that come with being present."
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