Before Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente began their romance, the duo were just friends first.
“Joaquim was there for Gisele through her divorce, as a friend, and they turned romantic this past summer,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
Bündchen, 43, and Valente share “similar lifestyles” and are both “dedicated to fitness and nutrition,” the insider adds.
“Gisele also loves being with someone who is from Brazil, they both have a shared history that she hasn’t had with anyone she’s dated,” the source says, noting Valente is “amazing” with her kids.
While the pair have yet to address their relationship status, the supermodel and the Jiu-Jitsu instructor recently made headlines for sharing a sweet smooch in Miami on Valentine’s Day.
Bündchen and Valente were first spotted together in November 2022, one month after her split from ex-husband Tom Brady. The duo were seen eating a meal in Costa Rica with her two children — Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11 — whom she shares with Brady, 46. (The NFL alum is also a father to son Jack, 16, with ex Bridget Moynahan.)
Days later, Bündchen and Valente dined with her kids again, this time joined by Valente’s brother, Jordan. When Bündchen and Valente’s outing made headlines, another insider exclusively told Us that the pair “have known each other for two years” and have previously worked together in 2021 for a photo shoot for Dust Magazine.
The twosome were also photographed getting active in January 2023, spotted on a run together as well as riding horses together in Costa Rica.
In April 2023, Bündchen addressed speculation that she was linked to Valente.
“I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I’m divorced, I’m sure that [people will] try to attach me to anything,” she said in a Vanity Fair cover story. “I’m so grateful to know [Joaquim and his siblings], because not only have they helped me and helped my kids, but they have become great friends, and Joaquim especially. … It’s so good to have that kind of energy, to have my kids around that type of energy.”
Bündchen added that she’ll continue to be a fan of Brady. “Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever. If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me. I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart,” she said.
With reporting by Travis Cronin
