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Gisele Bündchen Pays Tribute To Husband Joaquim Valente On Instagram After Reports She Lived In Tom Brady’s ‘Shadow For A Long Time’

February 6, 2026 by Maria Pierides

 
Splash News

Tom Brady may be posting endless thirst traps on Instagram, but his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen has now also taken to the social media platform. Albeit for very different reasons…

On February 2nd, the 45-year-old Brazilian supermodel shared a rare but sweet post on her Instagram Story. But unlike the 48-year-old NFL broadcaster, who appeared to be posting to get the attention of an unknown special someone (although the internet believes it’s 25-year-old influencer, Alix Earle) it was very clear who Gisele’s post was intended for.

Gisele Bündchen Posts Sweet Tribute To Husband Joaquim Valente

The Nourish cookbook author's Instagram Story was a photo of the outside of the Valente Brothers studio in Miami, where jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente works alongside his brothers Pedro and Gui.

Alongside an image of the studio, Bündchen wrote on Instagram: "Great Fighting Mastery class today!" She also tagged the Valente Brothers account, so there was no mistaking who she was referring to!

The former Victoria's Secret Angel has been linked to Valente since 2023, following years of friendship and training at the studio, with reports claiming the pair secretly tied the knot at the end of last year. They also welcomed a son at the start of 2025, so their secret wedding seemed like the perfect way to end the year!

Sources Previously Claimed Gisele Felt Like She Was Living In Ex Tom Brady's 'Shadow'

Since Gisele and Tom's divorce in 2022, sources have suggested she has embraced a renewed sense of independence and freedom.

An insider told Page Six last year that the mom-of-three – who shares son Benjamin, 16, and daughter Vivian, 13, with the former New England Patriots quarterback, and a one-year-old son with the jiu-jitsu instructor – is "absolutely loving this new chapter" of her life, and feels so much "freer" than she did before. The source also claimed she "felt like she lived in Tom's shadow for a long time."

Bündchen has kept her relationship with Valente largely out of the spotlight since they were first romantically linked, rarely posting about him on social media. Is this month's subtle tribute the start of the supermodel letting her fans into her personal life a bit more? Only time will tell…

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