‘It’s not a fairy tale’: Gisele Bündchen opens up about her relationship with Tom Brady

The couple have two children, a son named Benjamin and daughter Vivian

The couple married in 2009 (Getty Images)

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen has said she is “grateful” her husband, American football player Tom Brady, allows her to “take the reins” on parenting as she opens up about their family life.

Bündchen, 41, and Brady, 44, married in 2009 and have two children – a 12-year-old son named Benjamin and a nine-year-old daughter, Vivian.

While Bündchen has enjoyed a successful career as a fashion model following her debut on the Alexander McQueen runway in 1998, she has now made motherhood her top priority, she tells British Vogue in a new interview.

When it comes to raising their children, Bündchen described the couple’s roles as a complementary partnership that “takes work”.

“I don’t think relationships just happen; it’s never the fairy tale people want to believe it is. It takes work to be really in sync with someone, especially after you have kids,” she said.

She explained that the couple has found a dynamic that works for them by accepting one another’s focus and priorities.

“His focus is on his career, mine is mostly on the kids. And I’m very grateful that he lets me take the reins when it comes to our family. He trusts my decisions,” she said.

The family moved to Tampa, Florida after Brady left the New England Patriots and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl winner, made headlines earlier this year when he announced he was retiring in February, only to backtrack on his decision a month later.

In a post shared to Twitter, the athlete said he would be returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for at least one more season. Brady also thanked his family for their support. “They make it all possible,” he wrote.

Bündchen said the couple had decided to homeschool their children following the move.

“I didn’t want to put them in a school, because it takes a lot to adapt to a new town,” she explained. “They left all their friends in Boston – and just look at what the world was going through. I needed to create a soft landing.”

The model created their curriculum herself with the help of a teacher and ensured that it also includes cooking and gardening. The children are currently growing a range of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, kale and broccoli.

Bündchen also revealed that she is writing her own cookbook, comprised of a collection of her personal home recipes.

“You know, the idea for the book came because my friends and family would ask me, ‘How do you make that? How do you get your kids to eat this?’ You assume people know, but a lot of people don’t,” she said.

“I love to share things that make me happy, things to help mums who want to make healthy meals and healthy desserts for their children.”