JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
How Gisele Bundchen’s Breakup with Tom Brady and Leonardo DiCaprio Is Influencing Her Relationship with the Jiu-Jitsu Trainer
Inside look at how Gisele Bundchen's failed relationships with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady have shaped her new bond with Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainer Joaquim Valente.
For Gisele Bundchen, the concept of forever love seemed an attainable fantasy - until reality rudely intervened.
The Brazilian stunner has been haunted by the dissolution of not one, but two intensely public relationships that once sparked hope of lifelong partnership.
"I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it's beautiful to believe in that," the supermodel confessed to Vanity Fair, reflecting on her 2022 divorce from football titan Tom Brady after 13 years of marriage.
Gisele Bundchen Numbing the Pain
Her first strike into coping with romantic heartbreak came over 15 years earlier, when Bundchen's six-year on-and-off relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio ended in 2005.
At that time, the vulnerable model resorted to self-destructive habits to dull her emotional turmoil.
"No longer numbing myself with smoking, drinking and too much work, I was becoming more and more aware of things that I'd chosen not to look at," she wrote candidly in her 2018 memoir Lessons.
Bundchen admitted she had been "smoking cigarettes, drinking a bottle of wine and three mocha Frappuccinos every day" before resolving to overhaul her coping mechanisms.
"If this stuff is in any way the cause of this pain in my life, it's gotta go," she declared.
A Vicious Cycle Repeats with Tom Brady
Nearly two decades later, Bundchen found herself experiencing an eerily similar disillusionment as her hopelessly idyllic notions about her marriage to Brady crumbled.
"It's tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could," the depressed Bundchen lamented to Vanity Fair magazine.
"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."
Gisele Bundchen Forging a New Path
This time, however, Bundchen avoided the self-destructive pitfalls that seized her after her split from DiCaprio.
Instead, she sought solace through an unlikely source - the studious art of jiu-jitsu under the tutelage of Joaquim Valente.
Her introduction to the Brazilian martial arts master was an organic one. Bundchen began taking classes from Valente and his brothers at their Miami academy in December 2021, well before her separation from Brady.
"I'm a very intense person, so when I enjoy something, I am committed," she explained to Dust Magazine at the time, seemingly unaware of how pivotal a role Valente would eventually play in her life.
Joaquim Valente Emerges as a Quiet Refuge
As Valente’s relationship with Bundchen and her family evolved from one of student-teacher to supportive friends, the jiu-jitsu expert provided a sanctuary amid the emotional chaos unleashed by her divorce proceedings.
"He's our teacher and, most importantly, he's a person that I admire and that I trust," Bundchen stressed to Vanity Fair earlier this year. "It's so good to have that kind of energy, to have my kids around that type of energy."
While strongly dismissing rumors of an affair with Valente during her marriage, the humble model heaped praise on her martial arts mentor and his siblings.
"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."
In the months following her divorce from Brady, Bundchen's relationship with Valente steadily evolved from one of camaraderie and mutual respect to uncharted romantic territory.
Just two weeks after her marriage officially ended, she was spotted vacationing with the handsome instructor in Costa Rica.
Though initially rebuffing dating rumors, insiders confirmed to People magazine that Bundchen has indeed been seeing Valente in a romantic capacity since June 2023 - a natural progression born from their deep connection.
"They're taking it slow," one source revealed. "They started out as great friends. She's very private about this and wanted to keep it quiet while they got to know each other."
Part of the magnetic pull between Bundchen and Valente appears to be rooted in their strikingly similar backgrounds. Both hail from Brazil and left their home country for greater opportunities at a tender age.
"They come from similar backgrounds. They both left Brazil very young," the People source noted. "Gisele's in a great space. Joaquim is perfect for her."
Having endured the anguish of two failed attempts at her "fairy tale" ending, Bundchen seems determined to handle this budding romance delicately, savoring the unique solace Valente provides.
"Gisele adores and trusts [Joaquim] and has been spending a lot of time with him, but I don't think it's a traditional dating scenario," one insider disclosed.
"They have a deep personal relationship, and he is a teacher to her and the kids. Whether or not it will ever become more than that rests on the table."
Only time will reveal if Bundchen's bond with Valente withstands the pressure of external scrutiny to blossom into an enduring partnership.
But through the darkness of her recent romantic woes, the jiu-jitsu master has emerged as an anchor - a trusted confidant whose nurturing spirit has helped the beleaguered supermodel rediscover her inner strength.
Having confronted the harsh realities that eluded her naïve youth, Bundchen seems to approach this tender new courtship with a matured sense of hope, tempering her childhood fantasy.
Latest Articles
