Gisele Bündchen breaks silence on divorce: “It’s like a death and a rebirth”

Months after their divorce was announced, supermodel Gisele Bündchen is breaking her silence on her marriage to now-retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady. The tell-all interview was published by Vanity Fair on Wednesday.

Bündchen told the magazine, “it’s like a death and a rebirth” and she now mourned “the death of my dream.”

Before tearing up, she said, “It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” 

“You give everything you got to achieve your dream,” she told Vanity Fair. “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.” 

The two ended their 13-year marriage in October, with Brady posting on an Instagram story at the time that they arrived “at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.” 

“The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always,” she wrote in a separate statement. 

Months after the announcement, Bündchen addressed rumors of an alleged ultimatum — to choose between her and football — led to their split, saying they were not true. 

“When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, ‘You have to live this life,'” she told the magazine. “You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing.” 

But after the interview was published, Brady took to Instagram with a seemingly cryptic message. He posted a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote about the definition of success. 

“What is success?” the quote starts. “To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.”

The post goes on to say success is about finding “the best in others” and leaving the world “a bit better.” 

Bündchen has made it clear that she holds no ill will towards Brady.  

“If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me,” she told the magazine. “I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true.”

CBS News reached out to Brady for comment and is awaiting a response.

In November, Brady opened up about the divorce on his weekly podcast, saying he and his ex-wife have a “very amicable situation.”

While talking to his “Let’s Go” co-host and sportscaster Jim Gray about the topic, he reflected that many people go through “things that they deal with at work and they deal with at home.” 

“Obviously, the good news is it’s a very amicable situation, and I’m really focused on two things: taking care of my family, and certainly my children, and secondly doing the best job I can to win football games,” he said. “That’s what professionals do.”