Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen’s 13-year marriage ended in divorce in October 2022. A new biography by Lars Anderson, Brady: An American Story and the Price of Greatness, details the problems that built up before their split, including Bündchen’s concerns about Brady’s NFL career and time with their family. The Daily Mail reported details from the book ahead of its September 29 release. Anderson says Bündchen wanted Brady to spend more time at home. After Super Bowl LI in 2017, she asked whether he was ready to retire.
The book says Bündchen later asked Brady’s former teammate Jay Feely to encourage him to consider retirement. Feely recalled, “She was dead serious, too.”
Tom Brady’s NFL career created tension with Gisele Bündchen
After the Patriots lost Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, Anderson says Bündchen wrote Brady a handwritten letter. She told him she needed more of his time, attention and help with their children. She also wanted more time for her career.
The couple went to marriage counselling, but Brady kept the letter in a drawer and reread it on difficult nights.
In January 2022, Brady said, “It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family. And I’m gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
He retired in February 2022 but changed his decision 40 days later. On March 13, Brady announced he would return for another NFL season.
“I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now,” he said.
Bündchen initially supported the decision, saying, “When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, “You have to live this life.” You set them free to be who they are.”
Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s marriage reached breaking point
In August, Brady missed 11 days of training camp while dealing with what Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles called “personal things.” Brady later said, “I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of s*** going on.”
Former Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said, “It was very clear that the reason for the weight loss was the stress from the personal issues he was dealing with.”
Anderson also reports that Brady spent time away from the team trying to save his marriage. An eyewitness quoted in the book said the couple had been having normal conversations before Bündchen told Brady, “We’re not compatible.”
The book does not establish exactly what led to that conversation. Brady and Bündchen announced their divorce on October 28, 2022. Bündchen later said they had “grown apart.”
In February 2025, Bündchen welcomed her third child, her first with Joaquim Valente. After the birth, Brady posted a photo on Instagram with the words, “True Love.” A friend described the message as “the softest middle finger.”