On October 29, one day after news broke that Gisele Bündchen is pregnant with her third child — her first with boyfriend of one year Joaquim Valente — the supermodel debuted her baby bump outside a workout class in Miami. Dressed in black leggings, a black cap and a button-down shirt, Bündchen was spotted leaving a Pilates studio. “She’s in her second trimester,” a source shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly, adding that the star is “so excited to be a mom again.”
It’s been an eventful two years for the 44-year-old model, who split from former NFL star Tom Brady after 13 years of marriage in October 2022. (The exes are parents to Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11.) That November, she bought an $11.5 million mansion in Surfside, Florida, not far from Brady’s $17 million estate. She and her jiujitsu teacher turned boyfriend Valente, 37, became romantically involved in the summer of 2023 and, according to the source, moved in together soon after. In April, Bündchen released her first cookbook, Nourish, and in June, she starred in a new Balmain campaign. Her pregnancy is the icing on the cake of a thrilling new chapter.
Perfect Fit
Things between Bündchen and Valente moved quickly. “Once [Bündchen’s] divorce was finalized, they moved in together and have been attached at the hip ever since,” says the source. In February, a source told Us the couple “have a really strong bond,” adding that Bündchen and Valente, who are both from Brazil, “have a lot in common.”
They met when she enrolled son Benjamin at Valente’s martial arts academy in Miami. She began training with him soon after. “I feel stronger, more confidence and empowered since I started practicing self-defense,” she wrote in a February 2022 Instagram post featuring Valente, thanking him and his brothers for “being awesome teachers and for making training so much fun.”
She opened up about their relationship in March, telling The New York Times, “This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first. It’s very different. It is very honest, and it’s very transparent.” In the same article, she denied rumors she had cheated on Brady with Valente, saying, “That is a lie” and noting that many women who “have the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship… are labeled as being unfaithful.” Earlier this year, a source told Us the pair “were just friends for a year before things turned romantic” and that Valente had helped Bündchen cope with her divorce. “He’s amazing with her kids, and she describes him as having a kind heart.”
Back in 2009, Bündchen revealed she’d always wanted a big family. (She is one of six siblings.) “I love kids,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. Valente has a strong bond with his own siblings, cofounding the Miami-based self-defense academy, Valente Brothers, with his two brothers after moving to the States. Says the first source: “Expanding their family is something Joaquim and Gisele are very excited about.”
Healing After Heartache
Bouncing back from the divorce wasn’t easy. “It’s heartbreaking to go through that,” Bündchen told Robin Roberts in a March Good Morning America interview. “It’s definitely a time of a transition that had to take place,” she added as she fought back tears. “I don’t think you wish for that. But I think sometimes in life, things happen.” In May 2023, one source told Us Brady’s demanding NFL schedule played a significant part in their split; another said they had been “going down different paths for a while just clinging to the hope of some miracle that was ultimately never going to happen.”
Through it all, she learned a lot about herself. “Everything I experienced made me realize what I want and what I don’t want,” the model explained to Roberts. “It’s a new chapter in my life, and I get to learn new things,” she added. “And I get to walk my path in a different way.”
By most accounts, Bündchen and Brady have been coparenting peacefully. “There’s easier days than others,” she admitted on GMA. In November 2023, a source told Us the former couple “have made a focused effort on putting their kids’ needs first,” adding, “They have very healthy communication between them.” Two sources tell Us she informed Brady of her pregnancy before it was made public.
After the split, Bündchen said she made a concerted effort to simplify her life. While renovating her new five-bedroom mansion, she and the kids stayed at a small cottage nearby. She cooked breakfast, did the school runs and gave them chores. “They have to help me, and I tell them that. I say, ‘Listen, I understand we had chefs working with us and all that, but Mommy is choosing to do it this way right now,’” she told the NYT. “They’re going to learn how to live in a more simple way.”
Baby Plans
Her health is her top priority during her pregnancy. (After Benjamin’s birth, Bündchen revealed she’d only gained 30 pounds while pregnant with him and had practiced yoga and taken kung fu up until two weeks before he was born.) She was spotted outside her local gym in Miami on October 23 and walking near her home with her German shepherd, Alfie, on October 28.
Back on September 22, she posted a carousel of photos with a caption reading, “Best of summer!” with shots of her lying on the sand and plates of nutritious foods like an acai and granola bowl and a plate of rice and beans with asparagus and salad. “She has been eating healthier than ever,” says the first source. Bündchen may also opt for another home birth, as she did with Benjamin and Vivian. In her 2018 book, Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life, she called the experiences “extraordinary.”
Bündchen will likely pull back work-wise when the baby arrives, which she did with Benjamin and Vivian. She told the NYT she was considering pivoting away from modeling in 2025. “I feel like that’s a good time to have some closure and to start a new season,” she said. Whatever she does, it will be on her own terms. “I’m living my truth,” she said on GMA, “and I’m not apologizing for it.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin, Andrea Simpson & Amanda Williams
For more on Bündchen, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.