Joaquim Valente (2022 - present)
Gisele Bündchen and jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente were linked in November 2022 after they were photographed at dinner at the restaurant Koji in Provincia de Puntarenas, Costa Rica, with Gisele’s two children, Benjamin and Vivian, whom she shares with ex-husband, Tom Brady. Gisele and Joaquim’s date came a year after they did a photoshoot for Dust magazine with Joaquim’s brothers, Pedro and Giu Valente, in 2021. The brothers own their own jiu-jitsu business, Valente Brothers, in Miami, Florida.
A source told Page Six at the time, however, that Gisele and Joaquim were not dating and were just friends. The insider told the site that Gisele and Joaquim met in 2021 when she and Tom signed up their son, Benjamin, for jiu-jitsu lessons before she took lessons herself. “It certainly looks like Gisele is showing off — and showing Tom what he’s missing,” the insider said. “I have to think that Gisele is sending Tom a message.” The source told Page Six that Joaquim and Jordan, another jiu-jitsu instructor, often travel with Gisele and her family when they’re out of town because her children are homeschooled. “This is the fourth or fifth time they’ve been to Costa Rica — it just so happens to be weeks after the divorce. They’ve been there many times and they’re going to continue to be there.”
In February 2022, Gisele called the brothers “awesome teachers” in an Instagram post. “I believe the more tools we have in our toolbox the better,” she wrote “I feel stronger, more confidence and empowered since I started practicing self-defense. I feel it’s an important skill for all, but specially for us women.” She continued, “Thank you @ValenteBrothers for … making training so much fun. I am looking forward to keep improving. Let’s go!” Tom reacted to the post at the time in a tweet: “My days of leaving dishes in the sink are numbered.” Gisele told the Dust magazine at the time, “I have always been a seeker and a curious person who always wants to dive deeper. It’s actually because of my son that I met Joaquim. I have a friend who told me about the Velente brothers and their martial art school, and since I wanted to steer my almost teenage son in the right direction, I thought he might be interested in this.”
She continued, Initially I wasn’t even considering it for myself, to be honest with you. But when I brought him to the first class and started talking with Joaquim, I realized that it was much more than self defense and became interested in the philosophy. It felt very much in line with what I believe in and look for in my life and how I have a path to develop and become the best version of myself. It sounded like something I definitely wanted to learn about and then I was hooked.”
Gisele and Joaquim were photographed again jogging in Costa Rica in January 2023. Gisele was seen wearing a green sports bra, shorts and tennis shoes, while Joaquim wore a gray T-shirt and black shorts. The photos came two weeks before Gisele’s ex-husband, Tom Brady, announced his retirement from professional football. “He’s been her kids’ jiu-jitsu teacher for years,” a source told The Daily Mail at the time. “There’s no truth to the rumors that they’re dating.”
In March 2023, Gisele and Joaquim were photographed again walking their dogs in Costa Rica. “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,” a source told People in January 2023. “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.” A day after the photos, Gisele shared a cryptic Instagram post with the caption: “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
A source also told Us Weekly at the time that Gisele wasn’t ready to date yet. “Gisele is not ready to date again yet,” the insider said. “When she was in Brazil, friends tried to introduce her to a few men, but it didn’t feel right.” The source continued, “She’s been focusing on herself, diet, fitness, her brands and her kids. She wants to spend the summer with the kids in Brazil.”
In a Vanity Fair cover story in March 2023, Gisele avoided the question of if she was dating Joaquim but explained how he’s close to her family. “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 says of tabloid reports. “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 says. “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.”
In The Roast of Tom Brady, many comedians targetted the Super Bowl player and how Gisele moved on quickly. Kevin Hart joked, “Tom, you fucked your coach, but let me tell you something, people…that’s what you’ve got to do to maintain your happiness. You sometimes got to fuck your coach. You know who else fucked their coach? Gisele. She fucked that karate man.”
Kevin Hart dug deeper, “I mean, Jesus Christ, Tom. One of the smartest quarterbacks ever played a game. How did you not see this coming? Eight fucking karate classes a day.…Eight karate classes a day and she’s still a white belt. Fuck Tom. The only bruises she had were on her ass. Everybody should have known it.”
Jeff Ross joined in for the teasing, “[Tom has] so many rings he could melt them down and forge a sword to go on a quest to get Gisele back from that jiujitsu teacher.” As did Randy Moss, “Your ex wife’s new boyfriend can beat your ass while eating hers.”