Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen finalize divorce after 13 years of marriage
Posted October 28, 2022 10:19 am.
Last Updated October 28, 2022 10:35 am.
NFL quarterback Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen finalized their separation and officially divorced after 13 years of marriage.
Brady and Bündchen posted statements on Instagram late Friday morning, each saying they had “amicably” reached the decision.
“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,” Bündchen wrote.
Both said their priorities lay with their children and asked for privacy.
“We arrived at this decision to end our marriage after much consideration,” Brady wrote online. “Doing so is, of course, painful and difficult, like it is for many people who go through the same thing every day around the world.”
Rumours swirled for months over a potential strain in the marriage and impending divorce.
Brady and Bündchen married in early 2009 and have two children together.
The 45-year-old Brady briefly retired in February 2022 but in March, only 40 days after the initial announcement, returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to play a 23rd season in the league.
It’s been widely reported that Bündchen preferred her now former husband stay retired and walk away from the game to focus on family.
“What more do you have to prove?” Bündchen told her husband on the sidelines after his last record-shattering Super Bowl victory, Brady himself recounted shortly after the win.
Bündchen, 42, told “CBS This Morning” in 2017 that she was concerned about her husband after he played through a concussion the previous year.
Brady’s then-team, the New England Patriots, and agent declined to respond to her comments at the time, and an NFL spokesperson said there were no records he had suffered a head injury. Brady later said he preferred to keep his medical history private.
“I mean, we don’t talk about it,” Bündchen said during the interview. “But he does have concussions. I don’t really think it’s a healthy thing for anybody to go through.”
This combination of photos shows Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen modelling the Colcci Summer collection at Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Apr. 15, 2015, left, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, on Sept. 18, 2021, in New Orleans. Photo: AP Photo/Andre Penner, left, and Jonathan Bachman.
Bündchen more recently contended that the characterization in reports that she was desperate for her husband to retire carried sexist overtones.
“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,” the supermodel told Elle magazine in September.
“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.”
Bündchen remains one of the most highly-paid and respected supermodels in the fashion industry, consistently placing on Forbes’ annual list of most powerful women in the world. She’s also been recognized for her generous charitable donations and philanthropic efforts, particularly in her native Brazil.
Tampa Bay is currently 3-5 under Brady as the team navigates through a disappointing start to the season.
Brady is considered the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, with seven Super Bowl titles and five Super Bowl MVP honours.
With files from The Associated Press
