Update, October 28, 2022, 3:10 p.m. ET:
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen announced they have "finalized" their divorce. Both the NFL player and former Victoria's Secret supermodel posted separate statements on their respective Instagram Stories on the morning of October 28, 2022.
The news comes amid rumors that the two were experiencing martial difficulties, following Tom's return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite declaring his retirement. After meeting through a mutual friend, Tom and Gisele went on their first date in 2006. The couple tied the knot in 2009.
In their statements, both voiced their commitment to raise their children: Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, 9.
"We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve. We arrived at this decision to end our marriage after much consideration. Doing so is, of course, painful and difficult, like it is for many people who go through the same thing every day around the world. However we wish only the best for each other as we pursue whatever new chapters in our lives that are yet to be written. And we kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate what is to come in the days and weeks ahead. Thank you 🙏"
Gisele echoed a similar message about their relationship and family.
"With much gratitude for our time together, Tom and I have amicably finalized our divorce. My priority has always been and will continue to be our children whom I love with all my heart. We will continue co-parenting to give them the love, care and attention they greatly deserve. The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always. I kindly ask that our privacy be respected during this sensitive time. Thank you. 🙏"
Update, October 7, 2022:
On October 4, 2022, Page Six reported that both Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have hired divorce attorneys amid rumors the couple is going through marital issues. According to the outlet, the duo had spent the last few months living separately following the news Tom was unretiring from professional football. A source also told People how saddened the quarterback is by the prospective breakup and that he's "hurting":
"She is the one steering the divorce. She is playing offense and he is playing defense. He wants to protect himself, protect his interests, but he's only starting to go the legal route in his defense from her. He doesn't want this to be ugly, he doesn't want to fight. If the divorce is happening — and it seems like it is — he wants it to go as smoothly as possible."
Original, February 5, 2021:
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are each other's biggest fans. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is on the field, Gisele is never too far behind in the stands. And Tom is equally supportive of his supermodel wife.
In February 2021, we got another glimpse of their love when Tom played in the Super Bowl for the 10th time (and Gisele cheered him on from the sidelines). In the meantime, find out how this gorgeous duo fell in love and what life has been like since they tied the knot in 2009.
How They Met
In December 2006, a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. Gisele told Vanity Fair that she knew Tom was the one from their very first date. "I knew right way — the first time I saw him," she said. "The moment I saw him, he smiled and I was like, 'That is the most beautiful, charismatic smile I've ever seen!'" The supermodel also shared that she and Tom have not gone a single day without speaking since they first met.
Trouble in Paradise
Tom had been dating actress Bridget Moynahan just before he and Gisele got together. Soon after the couple split, Bridget discovered she was pregnant. "Two months into our relationship, Tom told me that his ex-girlfriend was pregnant," Gisele writes in her memoir, Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life. "The very next day the news was everywhere, and I felt my world had been turned upside down. Needless to say, that wasn't an easy time but it was a time that brought about so much growth," adding that "Jack, my bonus child (born in 2007), has been a huge gift and blessing in my life."
In 2011, Gisele said on CBS This Morning that the pregnancy almost tore the couple apart, according to the Boston Globe. "I felt like I didn't know what to do," she told the outlet. "It was one of those moments of like, 'Do I just run away?' Eight years later, I couldn't have asked for a sweeter bonus child."
Tom and Gisele stayed together despite Bridget 's pregnancy, and John Edward Thomas Moynahan was born in August 2007. Bridget told More in 2011 that Tom was not present for the birth but visited the hospital a day later. "[Tom] was not in the [delivery] room," she said, per People. "He certainly wasn't holding my hand while I pushed."
Their Two Weddings
According to TMZ, Tom proposed to Gisele in 2009 on a private plane from New Jersey to Boston. On the flight, the NFL quarterback lined the inside of the jet with four dozen roses and champagne.
Less than two weeks later, the couple married in a small Catholic ceremony at St. Monica Catholic Church in California. "We planned it in like 10 days and it was perfect," he told GQ. The couple held a second ceremony two months later on the beach of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, where they own a house.
That same year, Gisele told Vanity Fair that the couple's core values are what really brought them together. "He's very close to his family," she explained. "He's Catholic. His parents have been married 40 years. He's got a pure heart. That's all that matters — he's got the purest heart."
A Growing Family
Gisele gave birth to the couple's first child, Benjamin Rein Brady, on December 8, 2009. The supermodel revealed that she delivered her son in the bathtub of her Boston penthouse. "The doctor told me that it was too dangerous for me to have a home birth," she writes in Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life. "He said that Benny was in an unusual position, my hips were too small, and the odds just weren't in my favor. My attitude was, 'I don't think you get to decide this!' No one was going to talk me out of it."
Vivian Lake Brady, the couple's daughter, was born three years later in 2012. "We feel so lucky to have been able to experience the miracle of birth once again and are forever grateful for the opportunity to be the parents of another little angel," Gisele wrote on Facebook, according to The Huffington Post. "Vivian Lake was born at home on December 5. She is healthy and full of life. Thank you all for your support and well wishes."
Tom's Super Bowl XLVI Loss
Gisele made headlines when the supermodel did not bite her tongue after the Patriots lost against the Giants in Super Bowl XLVII. "My husband cannot f--king throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time," cameras caught her saying in the clip above.
The Deflategate Scandal
In 2015, People reported that the couple was having marital troubles after Tom was suspended for allegedly using under-inflated footballs in the American Football Conference Championship Game of the 2014-2015 NFL playoffs. The scandal was dubbed "Deflategate."
Later on, Gisele opened up about their struggles to CBS. "My father always says the quality of your life depends on the quality of your relationships," she said. "And I think no matter how challenging it was, we were always being supportive of one another. And you know, that's the most important thing you can have in your life ... a support system and love."
Gisele then shared a photo on Instagram, in which she joked that she was keeping Tom in shape during his time off. "Don't worry guys. I will keep him ready," she wrote.
Highs and Lows
With a net worth then estimated at around $540 million, Tom and Gisele were named one of Forbes' Most Power Couples of 2016. At the time, the couple had moved into their multi-million dollar mansion outside of Boston after selling their $40 million estate to Dr. Dre in Los Angeles.
That same year, Tom's mom, Galynn, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Understandably, it was a difficult time for the professional athlete, but his wife was right by his side. "So proud of this beautiful warrior! I love you so much sweet Galynn," Gisele wrote on Instagram. Galynn and Gisele attended Super Bowl LI together and celebrated Brady's win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Future
In September 2017, Tom told CBS that he and his wife often disagree about when it is time for him to hang up his football jersey.
"I think we go back and forth," he said. "She'll always say to me, 'Well, 10 years ago, you told me it was only gonna be 10 years. And now it's 10 years, and now you're saying another, you know, five years.'"
Gisele retired from fashion runways after a successful 20-year career in 2015.
In February 2021, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced — and defeated — the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. Tom became a seven-time Super Bowl champ, setting the record again for the most by an individual player.
