Inside Gisele's Relationship With Tom Brady's Ex
You might know her as the Brazilian model who took the American fashion and modeling industry by storm in the '90s and has since enjoyed remarkable success. Outside of her career, however, Gisele Bündchen also enjoys a blissful relationship with NFL star Tom Brady. According to Us Weekly, Brady and Bündchen first met in late 2006 after mutual friends set them up on a blind date. But even though Brady was in a relationship at the time, Bündchen was smitten immediately. "I knew right way — the first time I saw him," the supermodel once admitted to Vanity Fair. "... He smiled and I was like, 'That is the most beautiful, charismatic smile I've ever seen!'"
Three years later, Bündchen and Brady said their "I dos" in an intimate ceremony in Santa Monica, per Bustle, and have since lived happily ever after with their two kids, Benjamin and Vivian. But despite their very seemingly perfect lives together, the supermodel and her athlete husband have had their share of troubles — one of which has included his ex, Bridget Moynahan, whom the quarterback dated for three years before their split in December 2006, as reported by People.
Let's take a look inside Gisele Bündchen's complicated relationship with Tom Brady's ex.
Tom Brady's ex turned Gisele's world 'upside down'
Only a couple months into Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's relationship, People reported that his actor-model ex-girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, was three months pregnant with the NFL star's baby. And just like that, Bündchen's blossoming fairytale romance quickly turning into a nightmare. "Tom told me his ex-girlfriend was pregnant," the supermodel wrote in her 2018 memoir "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life" (via ET). "The very next day the news was everywhere, and I felt my world had been turned upside down." To be fair, it wasn't exactly a cakewalk for Moynahan either, who reflected on this "traumatic time" in a 2008 interview with Harper's Bazaar. "It's golden and it's tough and it was f***ed up," she explained. "But now I have a child and it's the best thing in the world."
Perhaps expectedly, Bündchen considered leaving the relationship to encourage a reconciliation between Brady and Moynahan. However, she eventually decided against it because, as she told Vanity Fair in 2009, "When people break up, it's for a reason." While the supermodel's decision to stay might have seemed risky at the time, things have since turned out pretty great for herself, Brady, and their romance. "I think it was a blessing," she admitted to the outlet. "Because otherwise I don't think I would have known what he was made of, and he wouldn't have known what I was made of."
So instead of tearing these lovebirds apart, Bündchen revealed that the difficult time strengthened their love and bond.
These two didn't have a relationship for many years
Yes, Gisele Bündchen accepted that her new boyfriend would soon welcome a child with his ex-girlfriend. But no, she had very little interest in getting to know the said ex — and so she didn't. As revealed in her 2009 interview with Vanity Fair, for several years, Bündchen didn't have a relationship with Bridget Moynahan. Yet, the supermodel shared a deep bond with Moynahan's son, John Edward, also fondly called Jack.
"I understand that he has a mom, and I respect that, but to me, it's not like because somebody else delivered him, that's not my child. I feel it is, 100 percent," Bündchen told the outlet. "I want him to have a great relationship with his mom because that's important, but I love him the same way as if he were mine. I already feel like he's my son, from the first day."
But we can't exactly say we're surprised Bündchen kept her distance from the actor, because Brady's relationship with Moynahan was also a bit tense in the earliest days of their son's life. During a 2011 interview with More, the "Coyote Ugly" star revealed that Brady wasn't in the delivery room with her when Jack was born. "He was there on that day and came in afterwards," Moynahan added (via People), but noted, "He certainly wasn't holding my hand while I pushed."
Bridget Moynahan didn't appreciate the press about her son
Gisele Bündchen's close relationship with Jack meant that she often spoke about him to the press, and even though she might have meant well, Bridget Moynahan — perhaps unsurprisingly — was reportedly just not having it.
In 2009, a source close to the "John Wick" actor confirmed to People that she wasn't exactly pleased with the media coverage her son was getting through her ex-boyfriend, Tom Brady, and the supermodel. "Bridget has her own life ... and she finds it disrespectful that her son is being paraded around in front of the paparazzi when she specifically made it a point of keeping him away from that," the insider alleged, before implying that Bündchen may have been using Jack to put up a show for the media. "I can count on two hands, in two years, the number of times Bridget has been photographed with that baby. I can count on two hands the number of times in the past month that Gisele has been photographed with that baby."
Clearly not mincing words, the source then went on to accuse Brady of indulging Bündchen's constant mentioning of Jack while in public. "If Tom is such a great father as everyone likes to say," the insider concluded, "then you would think that he'd respect the privacy of his young child and would ask his wife not to use his son as a publicity prop and a subject of public discussion." Yikes!
They worked together to create a loving blended family
Despite their differences, Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen clearly both love Tom Brady's eldest child — and so putting Jack first has always remained their top priority. During her 2011 interview with More, Moynahan spoke about her and Brady's co-parenting situation and how being with supportive partners made it easier for them both. "My son has two loving parents and an extended family, whether it's cousins or stepmothers or boyfriends," she explained (via People). "My son is surrounded by love."
This was, of course, evident a few years later, when Moynahan was spotted hanging out with Brady and Bündchen at a little league game held in a New York City park. Per Us Weekly, the three looked friendly and even embraced. The following month, E! News reported on the two women hugging once again — this time as Jack was dropped off at Brady and Bündchen's place by Moynahan.
By 2021, a source close to these three would confirm that, despite that initial abovementioned friction, Bündchen, Brady, and Moynahan have indeed become family goals, harmoniously focusing on Jack's well-being instead of their own differences. "There were obviously challenges when Gisele had just met Tom, but Jack made their family blended and it's about family, and nothing else matters, they make it work because of their love for Jack and the kids," the insider told Page Six. "They're a true, modern blended family."
Gisele Bündchen and Bridget Moynahan are in a good place
These days, and well over a decade since John "Jack" Edward came into both of their lives, Gisele Bündchen and Bridget Moynahan have seemingly become good friends, with a source confirming to Us Weekly in 2021 that they were "on really good terms." The insider also described Moynahan as "someone who is friendly and easygoing," adding that her successful co-parenting relationship with ex Tom Brady has remained unchanged.
But even if there was initially no particular reason for these two to be super close, Moynahan is grateful to Bündchen for loving Jack like one of her own. The famed actor echoed this sentiment in a 2019 interview with People, where she opened up about co-parenting amicably with Brady. "Tom and I made a decision to raise a child together and we both found partners that not only supported us in raising that child but also loved our child as if he was their own," she told the outlet. "I don't think you can ask for more than that." For her part, Bündchen feels similar gratitude toward Moynahan, previously telling People, "I know this was hard but I couldn't imagine my life without Jack."
Truly, what better life to have than that filled with love and success — and void of drama, to boot. It may sound like a dream straight out of an easy-watching Hollywood flick, but Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, and Bridget Moynahan appear to be living it!