The Real Reason Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen Divorced—& if It Had to Do With Their Kids
Since news broke of their separation, football fans wanted to know why Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen divorced and what caused their breakup. Reports of tension and unrest between Brady and his wife Bündchen circulated since his decision to un-retire from the NFL.
Tom and Gisele met on a blind date set up by a mutual friend in 2006. “I think the one phone call that changed my life was my friend Ed, who called me one day and he said, ‘I have this girl and I think you should call her,’ ” Tom recalled to WSJ magazine in 2021 about how he was introduced to Gisele. “I ended up calling her and it ended up being the love of my life.”
Related: Tom Brady’s Girlfriend Is Another Supermodel After Divorcing Gisele
The two started dating soon after but hit a tough patch in February 2007 when Tom’s ex-girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, announced she was pregnant with his son. Gisele told CBS This Morning in 2008 that she considered breaking up with Tom after the news. “It was a challenging thing because here I am, you know, thinking, I’m dating this guy, we met, and we started dating and everything is great and then this happens,” she said. “So, then I felt like I didn’t know what to do. It was kind of one of those moments of like, ‘Do I just run away?'”
Tom confirmed the divorce in a post on his Instagram Story at the time. He wrote, “In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage. We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve.
Gisele shared a similar post on her Instagram story. She wrote, “With much gratitude for our time together, Tom and I have amicably finalized our divorce. My priority has always been and will continue to be my children whom I love with all my heart. We will continue co-parenting to give them love, care and attention they need. 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.”
Why did Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen divorce?
In a cover story for Vanity Fair in March 2023, Gisele gave the true reason why the two divorced. “Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart,” she says. “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. 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.” She continued, “When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, ‘You have to live this life.’ You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing.”
She also clarified that the divorce wasn’t because of an ultimatum but because they simply grew apart. “That takes years to happen.” She called the characterizations that the media portrayed for her “very hurtful” and “the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.” She told the outlet that “everything” the media speculated about the marriage wasn’t true. Like how football impacted her marriage. “Wow, people really made it about that. “What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” Bündchen said. “It’s not so black and white.”
“Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever,” she said. “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.”
A day after Gisele’s Vanity Fair cover story was released, Tom took to Instagram to share somewhat of a cryptic message, though we’re not sure it’s in response to his ex-wife’s statements on their relationship. “What is success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends,” the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson began. “To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded.”
A day before they filed for divorce, a source told Us Weekly on October 27, 2022, that Gisele gave Tom an ultimatum to choose their family or his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Gisele told Tom either he leaves football to spend time with the family or she is gone for good,” the insider said. The source continued, “She doesn’t want him to continue to get injured and not be able to enjoy life in the future. She is doing it for her family.”
According to a report by TMZ on October 7, 2022, Gisele had threatened to divorce Tom for years before their official separation. The insider claimed that all the arguments were over the same topic: football. Another source told People on October 7, 2022, “[The problems] are 10 years old,” the insider said of the couple. “This has been going on forever. This is nothing new to either of them.” Another source also told People at the time that Gisele is “done” with Tom and doesn’t think their relationship can be “repaired.” “She is done with their marriage,” an insider close to the model said. “She was upset about it for a long time and it’s still difficult, but she feels like she needs to move on. She doesn’t believe that her marriage can be repaired.” The source continued, “She is just trying to figure out her life. She doesn’t have much contact with Tom.” Other sources told Page Six that the two have separated before and that Gisele consulted a divorce attorney in 2015. One source said, “Tom and Gisele have separated before. Every couple of years they have a big fight and she has left Tom before, but she always came back. They always worked through things, and Tom was hopeful they would do it again this time.”
News of issues in Tom and Gisele’s relationship started in September 2022 when Page Six reported the couple was in a “fight” over the NFL player’s decision to unretire from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2022. (Tom announced his retirement from the NFL after 22 years in February 2022 before reversing that decision less than two months later.) “Tom and Gisele are in a fight right now,” a source told Page Six in September 2022. The insider added that there have been a “series of heated arguments” since Tom’s unretirement. A second source explained that Gisele’s issue with Tom’s decision to unretire is the lack of time he’ll spend with their children: son Benjamin and daughter Vivian. Tom also shares son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan. “There’s been trouble in the marriage over his decision to un-retire. Gisele has always been the one with the kids. They had agreed he would retire to focus on the family, then he changed his mind,” the insider said. A third source added, “They have a fiery relationship. Gisele is a bit hot-headed — she has that Brazilian heat!” The insider, however, added that Tom has always been a “family man,” regardless of if he’s in the NFL or not. “He’s such a doting dad, and very much a family man,” the source said.
The publication’s second source also claimed that Gisele has been working more—she’s currently the face of a new Burberry campaign—since Tom’s decision to unretire. “It’s almost like Gisele was like, ‘Well, if you’re going to keep playing, so will I,’” the insider said. “She’s resentful that Tom is still the football superstar.”
A source also told People in September 2022 that Gisele was “frustrated” with Tom and had “been spending time away from” him. “Going back to Tampa after the retirement put a strain on the personal side of his life,” the source said. “Gisele is frustrated and sick of his career coming before their family, who has always supported him.” The magazine also reported that Tom and Gisele spending time apart from each other “has happened before” and that the two are “trying” to make their relationship work. “There is a point Gisele believes that enough is enough,” a second source said. “[She has] always been an amazing wife, totally supporting Tom and his career and bringing the kids aboard.
A third source told People that Gisele is “not a stay-at-home mom.” The insider continued, “She has been working all along. She’s in N.Y.C. right now working, and the kids are enrolled in school in Florida.” The source also reported that Tom and Gisele had a “happy summer together” before NFL season and Gisele threw Tom “a big birthday party in Italy.” “He already announced his return to football this spring, so friends don’t understand why she’s upset now,” the insider said. “They’ve been very private about what’s really going on,” the source added.
A fourth source also claimed to People that Gisele’s opinion on Tom’s unretirement had changed closer to NFL season. “It feels very different this year than last year,” the insider said. “She was excited to be here, we saw her around.” A source also confirmed to Us Weekly in September 2022 that there was “tension” between Tom and Gisele after he unretired from the NFL. “Gisele was not happy when Tom un-retired from the NFL after such a short time,” the insider said. “There is tension between them.” The source added that Tom is “doing everything he can to make it up to” Gisele. “They’re working through things and trying to come out the other side,” the source said.
