Gisele Bündchen Pulls No Punches: “Breakups Are Never Easy”

Gisele Bündchen is 100 percent not wrong—in a new interview with Vogue Brasil, the supermodel spoke of her growth as a person since her divorce from her husband of 13 years, Tom Brady, last year, and told the cold, hard truth: “Breakups are never easy,” she said.

As Brady begins to date again after their split last October—Marie Claire reported recently that he’s dating model Irina Shayk—Bündchen seems to be focusing on the self for now. “I’ve always believed that every situation, no matter how challenging, teaches us something and helps us grow,” she said. 

She’s staying positive, she continued, telling the outlet “I tried to focus on my children, my health, and my projects and dreams.” Bündchen has two children with Brady—son Benjamin and daughter Vivian. (Brady also has another son, Jack, with ex Bridget Moynahan; Bündchen has been in Jack’s life since he was small.) She is also traveling, recently celebrating her forty-third birthday with twin sister Patricia on a boat trip, People reports. She also visited South America with her children this summer, and even sang karaoke with Vivian while there.

Bündchen has also been giving back, hosting the Luz Alliance Gala benefiting the Brazil Foundation to help support her environmentalist mission and raise funds for reforestation efforts in her native Brazil, People reports. The event raised nearly $1 million for the cause. She’s also working, starring in new campaigns with Louis Vuitton and Jimmy Choo. “She is supercharged about her career in the next few months,” a source told People earlier this year. “She is busy making decisions and feels happy and more settled than she has in a long time.” The source said she “feels a sense of renewal with newfound energy and a happy future outlook,” and added “her life was in flux for so long, and now it is more settled. She is optimistic.”

Bündchen and Brady have birthdays about two weeks apart (hers is July 20, his is August 3)—for his forty-sixth birthday, he took two of his kids, Vivian and Jack, on what he called a “life changing” African safari in Tanzania. (Per People, Benjamin stayed back to spend time with friends after traveling to Europe and Big Sky, Montana with his dad earlier in the summer.) Brady dropped abundant wisdom in his Instagram caption, writing (in part!) “What an incredible trip to the most amazing continent…Africa. It was another special reminder that life is TRULY about relationships and memories,” he began. “This past week of my birthday I have had much time to reflect and be grateful for all the incredible blessings…I’ve experienced quite a bit in my first 45 years I have lived, and what I have loved most is the people who I have shared the most life changing events with.”

He continued “My children, my family, my loved ones and friends, and all of you have added so much to this incredible/adventurous life. To wake up to sunrises and untouched parts of our beautiful planet, to witness these animals in all their glory, to see how different people can live with true joy and happiness continues to bring me great lessons in learning.” He wrapped up his post “I am taking these next days one at a time, focusing on being my best self for me, and others, and living a life of integrity and purpose.” This upcoming NFL season, by the way, will be the first that Brady won’t suit up as quarterback in nearly a quarter century.

Supportive ex Bündchen commented on Brady’s post, per E! News, leaving a simple (but meaningful) message—the praying hands emoji.