After weeks of speculation that Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s marriage is in trouble, People and TMZ report that the couple will be filing for divorce this morning in Florida. A source told People, “The settlement is all worked out. They’ve been working on the terms this whole time. They agreed to joint custody of the kids.”
The couple shares three children together, 9-year-old daughter Vivian, 12-year-old son Benjamin, and 15-year-old step-son Jack from Brady’s previous relationship with Bridget Moynahan. The couple has yet to comment on the news publicly.
The move comes weeks after CNN reported that the two were “living separately,” via a source, and after Bündchen spoke to ELLE in its October issue about how she felt she had done her part sacrificing her career for the couple’s marriage. Brady had retired from the NFL then decided to un-retire and now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A source told Page Six on October 4 that the pair’s split stems from more than just Brady being unwilling to give up his football career. “As with many marriages, it’s not just one thing. Gisele has made it clear that she worried about Tom playing football and that they had had many talks about it,” the source said. “But they have had a series of blowups over the past few years, and this time it looks like there’s no going back.”
One source revealed that the two were privately talking to divorce lawyers following their late summer fight. “I never actually thought this argument would be the end of them, but it looks like it is,” the insider told the outlet. “I don’t think there will be any coming back now. They both have lawyers and are looking at what a split will entail, who gets what and what the finances will be.”
Bündchen addressed her relationship with Brady tactfully in her ELLE interview. Regarding him playing football, “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,” she said. “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.”
But the model stressed that she was eager to embrace her 40s as her time. “I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]. I moved to Boston [when Brady played for the New England Patriots], 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,” she said. “Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed, and being fulfilled in his career—it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that.”
Her focus now is on making space for herself to pursue her own dreams, too. “I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do,” she said. “At 42, I feel more connected with my purpose.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
