Tom Brady And Gisele Bundchen's Relationship Timeline Explained

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen seemed to have the ultimate fairytale, A-List romance. How could you get any more perfect than the football G.O.A.T. and one of the world's most stunning and recognizable supermodels? It's a match made in heaven, right? Well, it seemed like it was. Until it seemed like it wasn't.

Ever since they met in 2006 (more to come on how all that went down), Bündchen and Brady haven't exactly hidden the ups and downs of their romance. They've often shared adorable snaps of their family life across social media, and have regularly gushed over one another and the life they built together. Case and point? The model's sweet message for her husband after he announced his retirement from the NFL (of course, there's more to that story) in January 2022. "I'm so proud of you, and of everything you have had to overcome physically and emotionally over the years. I am in awe of your dedication, and of everything you have achieved," "The Devil Wears Prada" star gushed on Instagram. 

But it seems like for every sweet message exchanged between this couple, there has been a report of difficulties in their marriage, which certainly didn't let up after Brady U-turned on his retirement decision. So how exactly has Brady and Bündchen's relationship played out over the years? From touchdown to fumble, take a look back at the rocky romance of Hollywood's prom king and queen.

They had been going strong for a couple of months when Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen hit their first big relationship roadblock in February 2007. Brady's former girlfriend, Bridget Moynahan, confirmed she was pregnant with his child. There were swirling rumors that neither Brady nor Bündchen knew about the bombshell before it went public, though Moynahan's rep slammed those claims to Page Six, hitting back, "We got calls [about the pregnancy] and confirmed them, but [Brady] did get a heads-up." The football star and the actor dated for around three years, splitting in 2006.

Bündchen has since opened up about how she really felt about the big news, telling "CBS This Morning" in 2015, "It was a challenging thing because here I am, you know, thinking, I'm dating this guy, we met, and we started dating and everything is great and then this happens. So, I felt like I didn't know what to do." Things were so tough for the model at that time that she admitted she even considered leaving the man who would eventually become the father of her own children.

Bündchen also discussed the unexpected pregnancy in her 2018 book, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life," stating that Brady told her the news, and the public found out the following day. "...I felt my world had been turned upside down," she shared, admitting that the initial period of the pregnancy was a difficult time for herself and her new boyfriend.

In December 2008, rumors swirled that Tom Brady had proposed to Gisele Bündchen when TMZ shared a photo of a huge rock (which Vogue claimed is worth a whopping $145,000) on Bündchen's ring finger. Those closest to the couple initially denied the engagement rumors, though People officially confirmed the following month that the two were betrothed and had already started wedding planning, with sources revealing they wanted a ceremony in Costa Rica.

Exactly how the romantic moment went down remained a bit of a secret, though Bündchen shared details on how Brady popped the question in 2018, telling Vogue that he clearly put a whole lot of thought into the proposal. She explained that he told her her apartment had flooded, so she rushed out to help him, only to find the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for her. "The whole apartment had candles and rose petals everywhere and then he went down on his knees to propose," she gushed. Ahh, what a romantic! The moment was quite totally smooth sailing though, as Brady was injured at the time, meaning the supermodel urged him quickly to get back on his feet.

Touchdown take two! In June 2009, People confirmed that Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady were expecting their first child together. A source told the outlet at the time that the supermodel couldn't wait to be a mom to her own kids, as she had always wanted children. Bündchen's first child and Brady's second, a son named Benjamin, was born in December 2009. Brady shared during a New England Patriots press conference (via the Boston Herald): "I think it's obviously a wonderful experience in my life. Yeah, everyone is great. Everyone is great. I didn't get much sleep... everyone is doing really well."

Jack and Benjamin later became big brothers to a little Brady girl. Bündchen was photographed in July 2012 showing off her growing baby bump in a bikini while vacationing in one of the couple's favorite places, Costa Rica. The following month, the supermodel confirmed to TV Globo that she was five months pregnant (via Elle). Bündchen and Brady welcomed their daughter, Vivian, into the world on December 5, 2012. "We feel so lucky to have been able to experience the miracle of birth once again and are forever grateful for the opportunity to be the parents of another little angel. She is healthy and full of life," Bündchen wrote in a Facebook post. The mom added, "Thank you all for your support and well wishes. We wish you and your families many blessings."

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen made it past the marriage drama rumors of 2015, only to walk through another rough patch in 2018. Speaking on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2020, Brady got very candid about that difficult time in his marriage. He said of Bündchen, "A couple of years ago, she didn't feel like I was doing my part for the family" (via People). 

Brady revealed that the supermodel made it pretty clear to him at the time that she felt she did more than her fair share of housework and childcare during the football season, but didn't get any help from him when he was home. That's when the couple started going to counseling together, and Brady put more of a focus on his family. "With my family, the situation wasn't great. [Bündchen] wasn't satisfied with our marriage, so I needed to make a change in that," he said, sharing that she wrote "a very heartfelt letter" to him about the state of their relationship.

Bündchen appeared to speak openly about the hard times in her 2018 book, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life," admitting things got tougher after they welcomed their children and her responsibilities at home grew, while Brady stayed focused on his career. "You're overwhelmed and tired when you're not the nicest partner," she stated (via Us Weekly).

As even the most casual of sports fans probably know, Tom Brady's retirement didn't exactly last long. The athlete confirmed in March 2022, mere weeks after announcing his retirement, that he'd be back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for at least one more season. His comeback appeared to have the support of Gisele Bündchen, though. She commented on his Instagram post confirming his return (via Today), "Here we go again! Let's go lovvvey! Let's go Bucs!"

Fast-forward to August 2022, though, and the cracks appeared to emerge in Brady and Bündchen's marriage once again. The former took a mysterious 11-day absence from training with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and told reporters in a press conference who asked why he'd been MIA, "I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s*** going on." As for that personal s*** Brady was referring to? Well, the football superstar didn't go into detail, but, according to the Daily Mail, it supposedly came down to marriage trouble. The outlet claimed Brady had been spending more time with his and Bridget Moynahan's son, Jack, during his absence and had apparently been struggling when it came to his relationship with Bündchen. 

Notably though, in public, the two continued to show a united front. On August 2, 2022, Bündchen shared a sweet birthday tribute to her husband on Instagram alongside a photo of him smiling with their two children. But things only appeared to get worse from there.

Gisele Bündchen made some very telling remarks to Elle amid the rumors swirling about her marriage to Tom Brady, sharing in the October 2022 issue of the magazine, "I've done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]. I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams." She added that she's always enjoyed seeing Brady and their children win, but suggested she was ready for a new chapter. "At this point in my life, I feel like I've done a good job on that," she added, also making it clear that she wanted Brady to be more present in her and their kids' lives.

The interview came out around the same time fans noticed the supermodel was not in the stands to support her man during his football games as she had for years prior, with People reporting in September 2022 that all three of Brady's children, Jack, Benjamin, and Vivian, were there for his first game of the season sans the supermodel.