Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen have announced that they will file for divorce in Florida after 13 years of marriage.
Brady took to Instagram to post a statement amid news that the couple was drifting apart. They were married in 2009. Now, they’re calling it quits and have agreed on joint custody of their kids.
Bündchen posted a statement of her own, echoing what Brady already said.
“With much gratitude for our time together, Tom and I have amicably finalized our divorce,” she wrote. “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,” she continued, “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.”
Their marriage has been on the rocks for quite some time.
Earlier this month, news circulated that the couple had been living separately and already hired divorce attorneys.
The 45-year-old NFL legend retired in February – which Bündchen congratulated him on via a post on social media – but later had a change of heart. After only six weeks, he “un-retired” and was back for another season. Meanwhile, his wife was far from pleased with his decision, and many reliable sources revealed that this caused tension between them.
This has been a recurring theme in their marriage. Brady previously told SiriusXM’s Howard Stern that he lacked participation in their family matters. He would play football while she took care of their house and kids. He repeatedly acknowledged how Bündchen’s career had taken a back seat because she was busy raising their family.
In the June 2022 issue of British Vogue, Bündchen told the publication that Brady’s focus was on his career, while hers was “mostly on the kids.”
In August, he had to take an 11-day leave of absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp to “deal with some personal things.” By September 1, the couple got into a heated fight, which resulted in Bündchen leaving the family residence in Tampa, Florida, and flying to Costa Rica.
For his first game of the season, Bündchen was noticeably absent from the crowd.
The 42-year-old Victoria’s Secret supermodel was interviewed by ELLE, and it further fueled the rumors about their relationship status. Bündchen voiced her concern over Brady’s return to the field. It wasn’t the first time, too, because she expressed it to him “over and over again.”
“This is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she told the magazine. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”
Brady hinted at retirement after Bündchen’s ELLE interview.
During his ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast with co-host Jim Gray, Brady talked about how playing for the NFL for two decades affected his personal life.
“And I think when you’re 45, and you have a lot of other commitments and obligations which are very important to you – namely children that are growing up and things that,” he explained. “I haven’t had a Christmas in 23 years and I haven’t had a Thanksgiving in 23 years.”
“I haven’t celebrated birthdays with people that I care about that are born from August to late January,” he continued. “And I’m not able to be at funerals and I’m not able to be at weddings. I think there comes a point in your life where you say: ‘You know what? I’ve had my fill and it’s enough and time to go on, to move into other parts of life.’”
It began as a fairy tale romance between Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen—just no happily ever after.
The pair started dating in 2006 after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. It didn’t take long for him to propose. Bündchen received a call from him, telling her that there was a flooding emergency in her apartment. When she arrived, she found her place decorated with candles and rose petals.
They were married on Feb. 26, 2009, at a small, intimate wedding ceremony in Santa Monica, California. It was followed by a private reception at their home.
Brady and Bündchen had a second ceremony two months later at the latter’s home in Costa Rica.
They share two children together: 12-year-old Benjamin and 9-year-old Vivian.