While it may seem like world-famous supermodel Gisele Bündchen and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady lead an extremely charmed life, she insists that their relationship is a far cry from the “fairy tale” the public assumes it to be.
In a cover story for British Vogue‘s June 2022 issue, Bündchen explained that it takes a lot of effort and communication to make sure that she and her husband are always on the same page. “His focus is on his career, mine is mostly on the kids,” she explained. “It’s never the fairy tale people want to believe it is. It takes work to be really in sync with someone, especially after you have kids.”
She went on to clarify that successful marriages “don’t just happen,” but it helps when a partner recognizes your personal strengths and encourages them. “I’m very grateful that he lets me take the reins when it comes to our family. He trusts my decisions,” she said.
Brady and Bündchen first met in 2006 and it was love at first sight, according to the supermodel. In 2009, she confessed to Vanity Fair, “I knew right way—the first time I saw him. We met through a friend. The moment I saw him, he smiled and I was like, ‘That is the most beautiful, charismatic smile I’ve ever seen!’ We sat and talked for three hours. I had to go home for Christmas, but I didn’t want to leave. You know that feeling of, like, you can’t get enough? From the first day we met, we’ve never spent one day without speaking to each other.” Shortly after that first meeting, Brady also broke up with his then-girlfriend and mother of his first child, actress Bridget Moynahan. The couple wed in February 2009, welcoming their son Benjamin the following year, and their daughter Vivian arrived in December 2012.
Earlier this year, Brady announced he would be retiring from football after 20 years as a quarterback before changing his mind and returning to the sport just six weeks later. During that short-lived retirement, however, the NFL star wrote an emotional tribute in praise of his wife on their 13th wedding anniversary, thanking her for all of her hard work and raising their children while he put his career first. He wrote, “13 years ago, we both said ‘I do’….and you have been the best thing that ever happened to my life. I love you more now than I ever could have imagined. You are the best mother and wife and supporter in the world and I am blessed to call you my wife. Te amo muito meu amor, happy anniversary @gisele.”