15 years Of Whirlwind Love Career Success And Family Ends For Tom Brady And Gisele Bündchen
NFL star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, have spent the past 15 years madly in love, growing a family,
Victoria Liotta
NFL star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, have spent the past 15 years madly in love, growing a family, and supporting each other in their respective careers. It's been no secret the sacrifices that Bündchen has made for the sake of her husband's football career, to which she has expressed doing with love. However, Brady's retirement plan took an unexpected turn, ending with him back on the field, and potentially separated from his wife.
The pair have sparked divorce rumors after their marriage issues hit a sudden breaking point following Brady's return to the NFL. Brady and Bündchen have been "at odds with each other" and living separately as they make decisions about their future.
But, how did we get here?
15 Years of Love No Longer?
December 2006: The two met on a blind date set up by mutual friends. "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,'" Brady recalled n an interview for WSJ. Magazine's Men's Fall Fashion Issue. "I ended up calling her and it ended up being the love of my life."
January 2007: Brady and Bündchen became official
February 26, 2009: The couple officially tied the knot during a private ceremony just one month after their engagement.
December 8, 2009: Bündchen gives birth to their firstborn, Benjamin Rein Brady, in an at-home birth. "Me being there with G at his birth in our home, it lives in my mind," Brady said in an episode of ESPN+'s Man in the Arena series. "I think we brought this boy into the world in the most precious way."
December 5, 2012: The couple welcomes their second child, first daughter, Vivian Lake Brady. The supermodel wrote on Facebook, We feel so lucky to have been able to experience the miracle of birth once again and are forever grateful for the opportunity to be the parents of another little angel."
May 2015: Divorce rumors stir up however, they were quickly denied. "We're in a great place, I'll just say that," Brady shared on the Boston radio station, WEEI. "I'm a lucky man. I've been very blessed with support from my family and certainly her, and there's no bigger supporter that I have than her and vice versa. I've been very blessed to have an incredible relationship with my life partner, and I don't think anything will ever get in the way of that."
April 8 2018 (a foreshadow to present day or perhaps a warning?): Brady got candid about his and Bündchen's relationship struggles and her concerns about his lack of being present. He revealed, "A couple of years ago, she didn’t feel like I was doing my part for the family. "She felt like I would play football all season and she would take care of the house, and then all of a sudden when the season ended, I’d be like, 'Great, let me get into all of my other business activities. Let me get into my football training,' and she’s sitting there going, ‘Well when are you going to do things for the house? When are you going to take the kids to school and do that?'"
Brady added that Bündchen's concerns were a necessary wake-up call for him. "I had to, like, check myself because she was like, 'I have goals and dreams too.'"
February 26, 2019: Celebrating 10 years of marriage.
October 29, 2021: Brady acknowledged Bündchen's sacrifices.
"I think there's things that she wants to accomplish," Brady said in an episode of his Let's Go! podcast. "She hasn't worked as much in the last 10, 12 years—just raising our family and kind of committing to being in a life in Boston, and then moving to Florida."
February 1, 2022: Brady announced the news that everyone had been biting their nails over- his retirement. Bündchen supported his decision with a lengthy heartfelt caption for her husband, excited for their next chapter together.
March 2022: Brady "un-retires." And, the downhill spiral of their love begins. Brady tweeted his announcement and thanked his family for their ongoing support. Bündchen publically supported his decision however, she was absent from his first game of the season.
These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG pic.twitter.com/U0yhRKVKVm
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) March 13, 2022
Gisele Says Her Peace
September 13, 2022: The Victoria's Secret model got real about Brady returning to the NFL during her cover interview for Elle's October issue. "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," Bündchen tells the magazine. At the same time, she says she cares deeply about his happiness, and supports him in doing what ultimately makes him the most fulfilled. "I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]," she adds. "He needs to follow his joy, too."
She expressed her concerns, "I’ve done my part, which is to be there for [Tom]. 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."
"We have to think about what we're doing, how moments that were really shaping who they are as people," she adds. "I feel very fulfilled in that way, as a mother and as a wife."
September 14, 2022: Brady re-retires (gosh, I cannot keep up) to focus on marital and family commitments. An insider shared with People that Brady is aware that "this is his last season if he wants to stay married." Adding in, " "She doesn't hate that he's playing football, but she sure hates the way he handled the retirement and coming back All he can do is make this season count, spend time with his family whenever he can, and then retire at the end of the season."
Another insider stated, "From a family standpoint, these are critical years. The kids are getting older. Ben is 12 now, and Gisele feels like Tom needs to be home."
September 16, 2022: the couple parts ways for six weeks to release and process the tensions within their relationship. "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," an insider explained to Page Six.
"Gisele is busy with her own life now, and has spent time away from Tom in Miami and New York," a source told People.
October 4, 2022: The couple have reportedly hired divorce attorney's due to the rift in their relationship. Nothing has been finalized however, they are allegedly looking at what a split would entail and who will get what.
So, it looks like Brady has to make a decision over which love he wants forever – football or Gisele.