Gisele Bundchen claims she was one of Tom Brady’s biggest cheerleaders when it came to his football career — and is shutting down any insinuation she filed for divorce from the NFL superstar because of his decision to un-retire.
Calling this next chapter of her life “a death and a rebirth” in a new profile with Vanity Fair, the supermodel said she’s still mourning “the death of my dream” following her split from Brady in 2022.
“It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” she said. “I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it’s beautiful to believe in that. I mean, I’m so grateful I did.”
The former couple’s separation came after Brady moved the family to Florida to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then flip-flopped on retiring. Fans and the media speculated their divorce was the result of the quarterback “un-retiring” after announcing he would be stepping back from the sport in order to prioritize spending time with family — but Bundchen said the split was a long time coming.
“That takes years to happen,” she said of divorce, before addressing the “very hurtful” speculation she gave him an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between his family and his career. “[That’s the] craziest thing I’ve ever heard … Wow, people really made it about that. What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle.”
She added that while she believes she was made to look like a person “who is against football” in the press, she’s adamant she “loved” the sport and was someone who “always cheered for [Brady], and I would continue forever.”
“If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me,” she added. “I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart.”
After also clarifying that Brady’s Donald Trump support “never” drove a wedge between them either, she explained what did go wrong over the years.
“Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart. When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met, we wanted a family, we wanted things together. As time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make,” she saud. “That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person. 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.”
Of their relationship now, she said the two are “not playing against each other” and “are a team.” She concluded, “and that’s beautiful. I look back and I have no regrets. I loved every bit of it.”
Tom and Gisele split in 2022 after 13 years of marriage. Announcing the news on Instagram, Bundchen wrote, “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.”
The former couple married in 2009 and share two children, Vivian and Benjamin. Tom also shares a son, John Edward, from his previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
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