Yahoo Finance Biggest Bombshells from Gisele Bündchen's 'Vanity Fair' Interview — Including 'Death' of Tom Brady Marriage
Bündchen opened up to Vanity Fair about her divorce, her "tough" modeling days, life in Costa Rica and more
Gisele Bündchen got incredibly candid in her new cover story with Vanity Fair.
The 42-year-old model, mom and entrepreneur opened up to interviewer Michelle Ruiz about what her life is like post-divorce from Tom Brady, including how she's been spending her time in Costa Rica.
Addressing everything from rumors about her romantic life to the real reason for her divorce, Bündchen laid all her emotions on the table during the raw conversation.
Ahead, find the 14 biggest bombshells from Bündchen's Vanity Fair interview.
Related:Gisele Bündchen Slams Rumors She and Tom Brady Divorced Over Football: 'It's Not So Black and White'
She Calls Her Divorce the 'Death' of a 'Dream'
Bündchen talks at length about her divorce from Brady, growing emotional about the end of her 12-year marriage. The model called her divorce "the death of my dream," adding, "It's tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?"
After taking a pause, she continued, "I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it's beautiful to believe in that. I mean, I'm so grateful I did."
"You give everything you got to achieve your dream," she added. "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."
She Had Never Been to Tampa, Florida, Before Moving There
Bündchen has traveled all over the world for work, and when things got serious with Brady, she settled down with him in Boston — where his career was as the quarterback of the New England Patriots.
When Brady switched teams to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the whole family came along, and it was the first time Bündchen had ever actually been to the area.
"When we moved to Tampa, I actually had never been there before," Bündchen told the outlet. "I just arrived and that was my life."
Related:Gisele Bündchen Addresses Joaquim Valente Relationship: 'He's a Person That I Admire and Trust'
Bündchen Was Introduced to Brady by Former Victoria's Secret Exec, Ed Razek
Bündchen started dating Brady in 2006 after being set up on a blind date. It was December, and Ed Razek, who was previously the chief marketing officer of Victoria's Secret (and creator of the brand's Angels), brought the two together. The mutual friend of both the model and the football player set them up, and the two went to a wine bar called Turks & Frogs in New York's West Village.
Bündchen Would Draw Floral Baths for Brady During Football Season
As a self-professed "witch of love," Bündchen puts a lot of care into homeopathic remedies and a healing lifestyle. She confirmed to Vanity Fair that during football season, she would draw homeopathic floral baths for Brady "whenever he was going through difficult times."
She would also gift him with stones and crystals, including healing stones and onyx, "a stone of protection."
Politics Didn't Affect Her Marriage Troubles
Brady had a history of supporting Donald Trump, saying in 2015 that he hoped he would become president. The NFL star also had a Make America Great Again hat in his locker that same year, which spurred conversation about his political opinions.
Bündchen shut down rumors that politics had any bearing on her and Brady's decision to end their marriage. She told Vanity Fair that politics, including any support of Trump, "never" affected them.
She Wants to Raise Her Kids in Costa Rica
Bündchen has been spending a lot of time in Costa Rica post-divorce, and she told Vanity Fair that ideally she'd live there full time with her kids, whom she shares with Brady, Benjamin, 13, and Vivian, 10. "My dream was to raise my kids here," Bündchen said of the island nation. "I didn't get to be here as much as I'd like, but now I'm bringing them more often."
Their little family has settled into an outdoorsy lifestyle, with Bündchen playing pickleball with her son and riding horses in the countryside with her daughter.
"If I never went to another city again, I'd be perfectly happy," she said, later adding, "I'm a simple girl who wants to be in nature—leave me alone. I just want to go do my job and raise my children in peace."
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She'd Like to Open a Wellness Center
Along with wanting to raise her kids in Costa Rica, Bündchen would also like to open a wellness center there.
"I want to do things that I believe are an extension of me," Bündchen said of her wellness-focused lifestyle. "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."
Bündchen Calls Her Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Joaquim Valente Someone She Can 'Trust'
In the past few months, Bündchen has been seen with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente, who has a Florida-based gym with his brothers Pedro and Gui. Bündchen and her children have been training with the Valente brothers for months, including when Joaquim traveled to Costa Rica to continue the family's learnings of the sport.
Addressing rumors that she and Joaquim have a romantic relationship, Bündchen said, "I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I'm divorced, I'm sure that they're going to try to attach me to anything."
She went on to praise all three Valente brothers, though, for being confidantes for her family. "I'm so grateful to know all of them, because not only have they helped me and helped my kids, but they have become great friends, and Joaquim especially," she said. "He's our teacher and, most importantly, he's a person that I admire and that I trust. It's so good to have that kind of energy, to have my kids around that type of energy."
Bündchen Denied Reports She's Dating Billionaire Jeffrey Soffer
In recent weeks, rumors started swirling that Bündchen was dating billionaire Jeffrey Soffer, ex-husband of Elle MacPherson and friend of Brady. When asked about these rumors, Bündchen swiftly shut them down, saying she would not date one of her ex-husband's friends.
"I have zero relationship with him in any way," Bündchen said. "He's Tom's friend, not my friend."
She further added, "I wouldn't be with this guy. I mean, puh-leeze."
Calling the reports "absurd," she ended the denial by saying it was "ridiculous" that people implied she'd date Soffer for his money.
Related:Gisele Bündchen Talks Co-Parenting, Having 'Great Relationship' with Tom Brady's Ex Bridget Moynahan
She's Not Familiar With Current Runway Models
Bündchen retired from the catwalk in 2015, and she admitted she hasn't really kept up with who's popular these days. When asked about the "Kendalls and Haileys" of the modeling world, Bündchen simply replied, "I was living in Boston for 13 years."
Her Agent Teased Upcoming Fashion Moments
Bündchen may have stepped away from the runway years ago, but she's still been consistently working. Her agent, Anne Nelson, teased some "really big fashion moments" to come for the star, adding, "The world is her oyster."
She also said she gets "a million requests" for Bündchen to hit the runways in Paris.
Related:Gisele Bündchen Says Being a Stepmom to Tom Brady's Son Jack 'Awakened' Her Desire to Be a Mom
Bündchen Is Open to Returning to the Runway
It's possible that all those requests Nelson gets could turn into a strut down the runway at some point. Bündchen is open to it. "I never say never, because the only thing in life I am certain of is change," she said.
Her Early Modeling Days Were Traumatic
Bündchen left home at 14 to go model in Tokyo, and she told Vanity Fair she felt very "alone" but determined to succeed. When she moved to New York to share an apartment with other models, she was surrounded by drug use.
"I saw things that were like, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," she said. "I always say my guardian angels are very powerful."
She was unwilling to return home, though, because she didn't want to let her parents down. "The things I've seen and the situations I've escaped from just because I have faith…" she said, adding that there were times she was treated like an "object" with "no feelings."
"You have to survive that ... It's just emotional. I feel everything so deeply, and when I remember it, I feel like I'm living it again," she said, noting how "tough" it was in those days.
"My natural instinct was, 'I'm not going to be a victim of this. I'm not going to sit here and be like, 'Why are they treating me like this? Why are they leaving me standing here naked for, like, eight hours without offering me water or food? Why are they being so mean?' " Bündchen said. "I could have been sitting there thinking, Am I even worthy of anything?"
Instead, Bündchen fought through it. "I could have chosen to do drugs. I could have chosen to party. I could have chosen to allow…the vampires that are out there to suck life out of me and use me," she says, "but I came out of it. I wasn't broken."
She's Working on a Cookbook
Bündchen shared that she's working on a cookbook that she wants to be "simple." She grows much of her own food on her land in Costa Rica, making smoothies and juices for herself and her family, and sharing her knowledge about nutrition.
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