Gisele Bundchen opens up about Tom Brady divorce, co-parenting and more: 'We are a team'

Gisele Bündchen is speaking out about her high-profile divorce from Tom Brady last year.

The former power couple, who married in 2009, announced they were divorcing in October after nearly 13 years of marriage. They shared similar statements to social media saying they were both grateful for their time together and that the split was amicable.

Speaking to Vanity Fair for the magazine's April 2023 cover story, Bündchen reflected on the pivotal moment in her life, saying, "It's like a death and a rebirth."

"You give everything you got to achieve your dream," she said, having referred to the divorce as "the death of my dream" in the interview. "You give a hundred percent of yourself, and it's heartbreaking when it doesn't end up the way you hoped for, and worked for, but you can only do your part."

Bündchen, 42, addressed claims that it was Brady's decision to un-retire from the NFL that led to their divorce as "very hurtful" and "the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever," she said. "If there's one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it's him, believe me. I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That's what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart."

Bündchen said things are "not so black and white" when it comes to why her and Brady's marriage ended.

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"Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart," she said. "When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met, we wanted a family, we wanted things together. As time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make. That doesn't mean you don't love the person. It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live, you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right? It's a dance. It's a balance."

Bündchen, who shares son Benjamin, 13, and daughter Vivian, 10, with Brady, 45, said co-parenting is their top priority.

"We're not playing against each other," the model said. "We are a team, and that's beautiful."

Bündchen is also coming into the situation with years of experience, having co-parented Brady's eldest son, 15-year-old Jack, with Jack's mother, actress Bridget Moynahan.

"Jack came into our lives and I felt so blessed and it kind of awakened in me this desire of being a mom," she said. "I've always dreamed of being a mom, but I think that happened a little faster than I thought, because now I have this beautiful little angel that I get to care for and love."

Bündchen said her relationship with Moynahan is "great," though that wasn't always the case.

"Everything in life comes with work. You have to go through the roller coaster. You have moments where you get to the sticky points and you've gotta overcome it," she said. "Love conquers all."

"I put myself in her shoes and I was like, 'How can I support her?'" she continued. "Because in the end of the day, we are team players in 'How are we going to do this so [Jack] can have the best life?'"

Vanity Fair's April issue hits newsstands April 4.