Gisele Bündchen Appears To Address Those Tom Brady Divorce Rumors

Gisele Bündchen is no longer living her life on the sidelines. After rumors swirled about trouble in her marriage to NFL superstar Tom Brady, the Brazilian model opened up to ELLE about her career and family life in the magazine’s Sept. 13 cover story.

Brady is widely known as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and made headlines in 2019 when he retired from his longtime team, the New England Patriots. Many thought he had put the pigskin down for good until he resurfaced and “unretired,” joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few months later in 2020. His return ultimately led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win in his first season in Florida.

Since the couple got married in 2009, Gisele and their three children (Benjamin, 12, Vivian, 9, and Brady’s child with ex Bridget Moynihan, Jack, 15) have been a stalwart on the sidelines of all of his games. But now, his return to the sport is allegedly causing a rift in their marriage. On Oct. 4, People reported that Gisele had hired a divorce lawyer. Tom, meanwhile, is "trying to figure out what to do,” per sources amid the ongoing “tension.”

Brady reportedly missed 11 days of preseason training in August, citing personal issues when asked about the uncharacteristic absence. “It’s all personal … everyone’s got different situations they’re dealing with. We all have really unique challenges to our life. I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of sh*t going on,” he said in a press conference.

In early September, Page Six reported rumors of a fight between the two, with a source telling the outlet: “There’s been trouble in the marriage over his decision to un-retire. Gisele has always been the one with the kids.”

Following those reports, Gisele tweeted her support for the Buccaneers’ 2022 season opener on Sept. 11, though she was not physically there to cheer on her man — a move that was also out of the ordinary. A source told People, “It feels very different this year than last year. She was excited to be here, we saw her around. I’m not saying she can't possibly come, but nothing is in place for her to be here for the first regular season game and that seems weird.” Bustle reached out to representatives for both Gisele and Brady, but did not hear back in time for publication.

For her part throughout Brady’s football career, Gisele has stepped back from her lucrative modeling career to care for their young family so he could focus on the sport. “I've done my part, which is [to] be there for [Brady],” she told ELLE about her career sacrifices. “I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams...I feel very fulfilled in that way, as a mother and as a wife. And now it's going to be my turn.”

But she still appears to worry about Brady’s presence in the relationship. “Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she said. “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, meanwhile, said on Sept. 12 on his SiriusXM podcast Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, and Jim Gray, that “football and family has always been the most important thing” to him.

Moving forward, Gisele told ELLE that she is looking to the future: “I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do,” she said. “At 42, I feel more connected with my purpose.”