Since announcing her divorce from Tom Brady in 2022, Gisele Bündchen has spent a lot of time hanging out with her longtime jujitsu instructor and family friend, Joaquim Valente. Though she and her reps have repeatedly denied there’s anything romantic going on, Bündchen and Valente seem to be constantly side by side, often in Costa Rica and usually engaging in some kind of athletic activity. In the past year and change, they have jogged, ridden horses, paddle-boarded, and gone to the beach together, though no one seems to have spotted them actually practicing martial arts. Valente seems to be pretty close with the Bündchen-Brady kids, having trained them in jujitsu for years, and in August, he was seen picking her up from the Miami airport. The last time Bündchen addressed the rumors was last spring, when she described Valente in an interview as “our teacher” and also “a person that I admire and trust,” but not her significant other.
And yet it is getting harder and harder to believe these two are really keeping things platonic. Earlier in February, the Daily Mail published some exceedingly grainy footage that allegedly showed the couple kissing in Miami on Valentine’s Day. “Page Six” confidently announced that Bündchen and Valente were “deeply in love,” though it seems reports on the progression of their relationship are mixed — another source told the tabloid they were not in love but have been “discreetly seeing each other since the summer,” while someone else claimed they’ve been together for at least a year. Another source, this one speaking with People, claimed their “friendship turned romantic after the divorce” and they’ve been “taking it slow” since June.
Whatever stage they’re at, it seems Tom Brady, who himself is rumored to be dating Irina Shayk, is also adjusting to his ex-wife seeing someone new. According to TMZ, Brady suspects Bündchen and Valente’s relationship pre-dates the divorce — when asked about the dating timeline, one source allegedly affiliated with Brady told the tabloid, “They should add 2021 after June. Then the headline would be accurate.” Still, Brady seems to be coping. The Daily Mail added that, even though Bündchen and Valente “have been together longer and they aren’t taking it slow,” Brady has “accepted” their relationship. Though he and Valente are apparently “not friends,” he finds him a “good guy” and “will be able to adapt” to any co-parenting situation involving the trainer. Sounds like they’re about to become the fittest blended family ever.
