Gisele Bündchen Said Her Divorce From Tom Brady Isn’t What She “Hoped For”

Gisele Bündchen is continuing to set the record straight about her divorce from ex-husband Tom Brady. ICYMI, in an interview for Vanity Fair’s April 2023 issue, the model shut down rumors that she and Brady split over his decision to un-retire from professional football in March 2022. In September, she spoke more about their breakup, telling CBS News that the divorce was not what she “dreamed of” or “hoped for.”

“I look into my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Bündchen reflected on her relationship with the former NFL player, per Us Weekly. “I wouldn’t have any other life. If they said, ‘Could you change something in your life?’ I wouldn’t change absolutely anything.” The duo share two kids together: 8-year-old daughter Vivian and 13-year-old son Benjamin.

However, Bündchen acknowledged that divorce was not part of her plan. “I mean, it’s not what I dreamed of and what I hoped for. My parents have been married for 50 years, and I really wanted that to happen. But I think you have to accept sometimes that the way you are in your 20s, it’s sometimes you grow together, sometimes you grow apart.” She added, “He’s the father of my kids, so I always wish him the best, and I’m so grateful that he gave me wonderful children. And I think when a door shuts other doors open.”

A little recap on the Brady-Bündchen breakup: Brady initially announced his first NFL retirement in February 2022, and Bündchen congratulated him on leaving behind an impressive legacy. Then, in March 2022, Brady walked back on his decision, reportedly leading to major tension. They announced their divorce seven months later in October 2022. At the time, a source told People, “She was so happy when he announced his retirement, and she wasn't thrilled at all when he went back on that.”

Bündchen’s latest comments reiterate what she previously told Vanity Fair about their split. “Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever,” Bündchen told the outlet, calling the initial media buzz “very hurtful.” She explained, “If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me. 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.”

Bündchen continued in her Vanity Fair cover, noting that “everything written” about their split wasn’t true. “What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” Bündchen said. “It’s not so black and white.” It appears the end of their nearly 13-year marriage had been on the horizon for some time. According to Bündchen, the duo gradually drifted apart due to wanting “different things” in their marriage.

“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,” she said, noting that their decision to split doesn’t mean they don’t care for one another. “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.”

Even though Bündchen described the end of their marriage as “the death of her dream,” she and Brady are still on good terms. “We’re not playing against each other. We are a team, and that’s beautiful. I look back and I have no regrets. I loved every bit of it,” she said.