“When I Met Tom, I Was 26 Years Old”: Distraught at Divorce, Gisele Bündchen Revisits Her 13 YO Troubled Relationship With Devastated Ex-Husband Tom Brady

In a world filled with glitz, glamor, and high-profile careers, Gisele Bündchen stood tall as the epitome of success. Since her late teen years, the supermodel extraordinaire captivated the fashion industry with her unparalleled grace and beauty. However, she put all the fame and fortune in the backseat to try her hand at motherhood. And boy, did she do a splendid job in raising two children with retired NFL icon Tom Brady. However, Gisele recently revealed that as time went by, she wanted to set herself free in more ways than one.

Brady and Bündchen announced the end of their 13-year marriage last October. Since then, Gisele has jumped back into the fashion world she once ruled. Being the highest-paid supermodel at one point, she explained her emotional rollercoaster ride in the long relationship with the NE Patriots quarterback in a recent interview.

Gisele Bündchen looks back at her role as a supportive wife and a mother of two

Speaking to Vanity Fair from Costa Rica, the 42-year-old Brazilian bombshell laid it all out. Gisele Bündchen didn’t have a short stint at the top of the fashion industry. After being discovered at a São Paulo mall when she was only 13 years old, she quickly rose through the ranks and made her mark on the world’s biggest stages.

Another 13 years later, weeks after her relationship with actor Leonardo DiCaprio ended, Gisele met future 7x Lombardi winner Tom Brady. By then, Bündchen’s priorities had shifted from ruling the glamor world to nurturing a family. And the moment she laid eyes on TB12, she “knew right away.”

“When I met Tom, I was 26 years old, and I wanted a family. I felt so ready,” she said. In the years to come, the couple built a home together in Boston and welcomed their two kids, Benjamin and Vivian Lake, into their lives. Brady also had Jack from his previous relationship with actor Bridget Moynahan. Jack awakened the desire for motherhood in Bündchen. However, as the kids grew up, Gisele wanted to get back to pursuing her dreams.

“You want to show them that, in life, you have to find real fulfillment, not living something that you’re not,” she said.

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While the divorce brought up rumors of Bündchen making Brady choose between family and football, the Victoria’s Secret superstar flat-out denied these reports. So what went wrong between the two?

Brady and Bündchen’s primary cause for separating

While it’s extremely hard to summarize the ups and downs of a 13-year-long marriage over a two-hour interview, Bündchen put it as bluntly as possible. “Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart. 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 said.

Brady and Bündchen moved to Florida from Boston in 2020. TB12 even retired in 2022, only to change his mind 40 days later. However, these factors had nothing to do with Bündchen’s decision to go after what she wanted. “When you love someone, you don’t put them in jail and say, ‘You have to live this life.’ You set them free to be who they are.”

The super couple ended things amicably. Bündchen even left a heartwarming message for her ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB1 husband after he finally hung up his cleats this year. With both parents spending time with the children, and simultaneously pursuing their individual ambitions, Bündchen seems to have hit the bulls-eye.

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