Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen (Image via Getty Images)
Gisele Bündchen appeared to be entering a calmer chapter of her life after her 2022 divorce from Tom Brady. Bündchen and Brady ended their 13-year marriage in October 2022 after building a family that included their children, Benjamin and Vivian. During a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, she spoke candidly about what happens when two people no longer want the same future.
In June 2024, a source close to the supermodel told PEOPLE that she had “blossomed” since the split, describing her as secure, happy and deeply focused on her own life. “We wanted different things” compared to when they met in their 20s, she explained. “It doesn’t mean you don’t love the person,” Bündchen said.
Her comments and choices at the time reflected a woman learning to move forward without looking back. The separation closed one of the most watched celebrity relationships, but Bündchen later suggested that the decision was rooted in a simple realization: their lives had moved in different directions. For Bündchen, accepting that reality did not mean erasing the love that once existed. Instead, she framed the end of the marriage as an act of honesty and personal freedom. “It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live, you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right? It’s a dance. It’s a balance. Her message went even deeper when she discussed the importance of allowing people to remain true to themselves.
By June 2024, Bündchen seemed increasingly focused on what came next rather than what had ended. The pair were photographed together in Florida in June 2024, though a source described their connection at the time as close rather than a serious love affair. That line captured the mood surrounding Bündchen in 2024.
“When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, ‘You have to live this life,’ ” the Nourish cookbook author added. A PEOPLE source said she had “blossomed” following the divorce and was too busy building her life to spend much time on negativity. “She is secure and happy, and so busy with her life that she doesn’t have time to dwell on the negatives out there,” the source said. During an interview with Robin Roberts for “IMPACT x Nightline: Gisele Bündchen: Climbing the Mountain,” she offered a simple statement about where she stood emotionally.
“You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing. Her personal life was also drawing attention. Bündchen had been romantically linked to Joaquim Valente, a jiu-jitsu instructor she first met through her son Benjamin’s lessons. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines Bündchen herself kept the focus on her own journey. “Where my heart is now is where I am right now. I’m living my truth, and I’m not apologizing for it. Her story was no longer simply about the end of her marriage to Brady. It was about identity, independence and the courage to choose a life that felt authentic. For a woman who had spent years under intense public attention, finding happiness on her own terms became the most compelling part of her next chapter. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.