In February of 2022, NFL superstar Tom Brady retired and then unretired a few weeks later, deciding to go for one more season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wasn’t long after that when rumors about a major rift between himself and his wife of 13 years, Gisele Bündchen, really ramped up. Those reports turned out to be true, as the couple divorced just a few months later, in October. Now, the supermodel is speaking out about many of the claims that were made as the couple was splitting up, and she’s responded to rumors that she left her husband to focus on modeling.
What Did Gisele Bündchen Say About Rumors She Left Tom Brady For Her Modeling Career?
Even though the relationship between Brady and Bündchen probably appeared to dissolve quickly where outsiders are concerned, the cover model recently opened up to Vanity Fair about how no marriage is made or broken in a few short months, noting how it takes “years to happen.” She also combatted the rumor that she gave her now ex-husband an ultimatum which required his retirement from football for their marriage to continue, and has opened up about the claim that she got divorced to refocus her attention on modeling, saying:
I want to do things that I believe are an extension of me. Being a model is not really an extension of me...It’s being an actress in a silent movie. I don’t want to be a character in anybody else’s movie. And when I do that, it doesn’t feel as comfortable for me anymore.
Modeling does seem like sort of an odd job. On one hand, if fashion’s elite decide you’re really good at it, it can bring you a lot of financial rewards and amazing opportunities. On the other hand, it is famously not a profession where the main goal is to show people who you really are, or exemplify your own values, on a regular basis.
Bündchen worked as a runway model for many years before giving that aspect of the profession up in 2015, and those who do runway work have been called things like “walking clothes hangers” before. The idea of modeling is to be able to convey the look or message that the designer/photographer wants more than anything else, so her feeling of not wanting to “be a character in anybody else’s movie” at this point in life makes a lot of sense.
It seems that her goal with work now is to only take the jobs where she does feel like she can put some of her real personality into it, and because of the nature of her profession, that may mean she continues to do it less as time goes on. She continued, and spoke about how “everything” that had been reported about their divorce and what led to it was false, going back to the idea of no relationship ending because of only one thing:
What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle. It’s not so black and white.
For his part, the long-time NFL quarterback does appear to be fine with what his ex-wife has revealed about their split. After her interview with the outlet was made public, he shared a post to his Instagram Stories about success, which seems to reflect what he values now:
The former Victoria’s Secret Angel has committed a lot of time over the past decade plus to raising her children with Brady, Benjamin (13) and Vivian (10), and the exes are now working to co-parent successfully. Hopefully, with their marriage now over, they can both move forward and find the balance they need in both their personal and professional lives.
