Gisele Bündchen has appeared to address relationship rumours with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente following her divorce from Tom Brady.
The Brazilian supermodel, 42, took to Instagram on 15 March where she shared a cryptic message about “the truth” after she was spotted with Valente in Costa Rica for the third time since her divorce from the NFL star.
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth,” the former Victoria’s Secret angel captioned her smiling selfie.
The social media post comes amid rumours that the mother of two and the jiu-jitsu instructor are dating. Bündchen and Valente are rumoured to have known each other for at least a year, when he began teaching her son martial arts at the Miami-based academy he owns with his brother, Jordan.
In February 2022, the model shared on Instagram that she was also taking self-defence classes with Valente, and praised the brothers for being “awesome teachers” in an Instagram post.
Rumours swirled that the pair were an item last November when they were seen having dinner together in Costa Rica, along with the two children she shares with Brady: Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, nine. However, multiple sources confirmed that the evening was not romantic.
Two months later, the two were spotted for a second time in Costa Rica. In pictures obtained by People, Bündchen and Valente were seen on a run on the destination island, this time without her children. A source told the outlet at the time that the pair share a tight bond, but have not put a label on their relationship.
“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,” they said. “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.”
This week, Bündchen and Valente sparked romance rumours on their latest Costa Rican outing. The friends were photographed walking outside with two large dogs beside them, as Bündchen dressed casually in an orange bikini top and a beige wrap skirt.
Last year, Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady finalised their divorce after 13 years of marriage. Fans of the couple had speculated that their separation was due to Brady’s decision to unretire from the NFL in March 2022, after previously announcing his retirement in February of that year. At the time, Bündchen had been open about her desire for her husband to spend more time with his family, which would also allow her to focus on her modelling career.
According to People, the couple agreed on joint custody of their children. In addition to their two children, Benjamin and Vivian, Brady also shares 15-year-old son John with ex Bridget Moynahan.
Despite their separation, Brady and Bündchen have often shared their support for each other on social media. When the 45-year-old football player announced he would be retiring from the NFL “for good” last February, the supermodel expressed her support for her ex-husband and the “new chapter” of his life.
Bündchen commented under Brady’s Instagram post: “Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life.”
