1980–present
Gisele Bündchen News: Model Welcomes Third Child with Boyfriend Joaquim Valente
Gisele Bündchen is reportedly now a mom of three. On February 5, TMZ reported the Brazilian supermodel and her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente, welcomed their baby. A source told People the couple had a boy, though details about the child are still scare.
News about Bündchen’s pregnancy arrived in late October. “Gisele and Joaquim are happy for this new chapter in their life, and they’re looking forward to creating a peaceful and loving environment for the whole family,” a source told People in the fall. She and Valente, a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, have been dating since June 2023.
Bündchen, 44, is already a mother of two from her prior marriage to NFL star Tom Brady. They had a son, Benjamin, in 2009 and a daughter, Vivian, in 2012. The former couple finalized their divorce in October 2022.
Who Is Gisele Bündchen?
Gisele Bündchen is a Brazilian supermodel best known for representing the Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand. After beginning her career as a teenager, Bündchen moved to New York City in 1997 and quickly became popular among fashion magazines and top designers. In 2000, Bündchen signed a $25 million deal with Victoria’s Secret and became one of the highest-paid models in the world. Although she resigned from runway work in 2015, the model continues to grace fashion campaigns in print. Beyond her career, Bündchen had a high-profile marriage to professional football player Tom Brady for 13 years. The couple divorced in October 2022.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Gisele Caroline Bündchen
BORN: July 20, 1980
BIRTHPLACE: Horizontina, Brazil
SPOUSE: Tom Brady (2009–2022)
CHILDREN: Benjamin, Vivian, and infant
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer
Young Gisele Bündchen
One of five sisters, Gisele Caroline Bündchen arrived just minutes ahead of her fraternal twin sister on July 20, 1980. Her family lived in the small town of Horizontina, Brazil, not far from the Argentinian border in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The sixth-generation Brazilian traces her heritage to the region’s long-standing German descendants. Her parents still speak German in addition to Portuguese, according to The Washington Post.
Growing up, Bündchen was teased for being tall and skinny, but these same attributes would eventually help her launch her modeling career. A modeling agent spotted Bündchen at a fast-food restaurant. After some initial resistance, the teenage beauty decided to try modeling. She started working in Brazil and debuted on the catwalk at New York City’s Fashion Week in 1996.
The following year, she moved to New York City and learned English by listening to music from Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey. Bündchen caught one of her first big breaks around this time when designer Alexander McQueen chose her for his runway show.
Supermodel
By the late 1990s, Bündchen had become an in-demand model, gracing the covers of Vogue and other fashion magazines worldwide. She worked for such leading designers as Dolce & Gabbana. Bündchen made headlines in 2000 when she landed an impressive $25 million contract with Victoria’s Secret, the famous lingerie company. That same year, Bündchen was named “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” by Rolling Stone magazine.
By 2004, Bündchen had become the highest-paid model in the world, according to Forbes magazine. She ended her relationship as a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2007 but remained a sought-after model. She again topped the Forbes list, beating established models such as Heidi Klum.
Bündchen has sometimes found herself amid controversy, as she did in 2011 for a series of TV spots that ran in Brazil. Bündchen strutted her stuff in some lingerie ads, which encouraged women to use their sex appeal to get out of several difficult situations. A government department dedicated to women’s issues called for the ads to be pulled, saying, “The campaign promotes the misguided stereotype of a woman as a sexual object,” according to Marie Claire. In 2012, Bündchen again made waves by appearing nude in Vogue Paris magazine, showing the world that she was still in top shape.
The supermodel retired from runway work in April 2015. “Today after 20 years in the industry, it is a privilege to be doing my last fashion show by choice and yet still be working in other facets of the business,” Bündchen announced on Instagram. She has done photo shoots for Louis Vitton and Jimmy Choo as recently as 2023.
Movies, Books, and Philanthropy
Outside of modeling, Bündchen attempted an acting career in the mid-2000s. She appeared in the 2004 comedy flop Taxi with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon. Two years later, Bündchen fared better with a small role in the fashion dramedy The Devil Wears Prada, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.
The model’s foray into writing has been more successful. In 2018, Bündchen released a memoir titled Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life. Six years later, she returned with the cookbook Nourish. Both have been New York Times bestsellers.
Bündchen supports numerous charities and causes. She has a line of sandals and uses some proceeds from sales for the Gisele Bündchen Forest in Brazil. In 2008, Bündchen launched a water conservation and plant recovery effort called Agua Limpa in her home state. She has also served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, advocating for the reduction of food waste among other intiatives.
Boyfriend
Bündchen has been dating Joaquim Valente, a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, since June 2023. The relationship began only months after her divorce from football star Tom Brady and progressed quickly. In October 2024, news broke that Bündchen and her boyfriend were expecting a baby. TMZ reported early the following February that the child was born.
Ex-Husband Tom Brady
Bündchen was previously married to NFL star Tom Brady for 13 years. They became on of pop culture’s biggest power couples following their 2009 wedding. At the time, Brady had won three out of his eventual seven Super Bowl rings.
As the pair built their lives together, they had two children. Their son, Benjamin, was born later in 2009 followed by their daughter, Vivian, in 2012.
In October 2022, Bündchen and Brady made separate statements announcing they had finalized their divorce. They have shared joint custody of their kids. “If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me,” Bündchen said of Brady in a 2024 interview with Robin Roberts. “I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true.”
Before meeting Brady, Bündchen was in a relationship with actor Leonardo DiCaprio from 2000 through 2005.
Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bündchen’s total fortune is estimated at around $400 million. According to Forbes, Bündchen earned $30.5 million from June 2015 through June 2016, placing her in the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest annual earnings for a female model.
Sober Lifestyle
In 2023, Bündchen revealed she had quit drinking alcohol to sleep better and feel more present in her daily life. “It’s socially accepted to have a glass of wine. And people even say, ‘Oh, it’s healthy for you.’ Well, it is not healthy for me,” she told People. “If you want to ask of your body what I ask of my body, which is a lot, I can’t be having all these things because they add up.”
Quotes
- When I’m in front of the camera, just like an actress, I’m playing a role. One day I’m sexy, the next I’m wild, the next I’m tough. But in everyday life, I’m the tomboy girl.
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