A Timeline Of Gisele Bündchen's Hush-Hush Romance With Joaquim Valente

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Gisele Bündchen has kept her new man, Joaquim Valente, out of the spotlight, but that hasn't dampened the public's interest in their relationship. People have been speculating about what was going on between the former supermodel and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor since they were photographed in Costa Rica weeks after Bündchen and Tom Brady's divorce in October 2022. But the two already knew each other by then.

For more than a year, Bündchen and the two children she shares with Brady, Benjamin and Vivian, had been practicing martial arts with Valente and his two older siblings at the Valente Brothers jiu-jitsu school in Miami. She became fast friends with Valente. For close to two years, there was nothing more to their relationship than that. But the friendship turned romantic in the summer of 2023, and things picked up quickly from there, with Bündchen becoming pregnant the following year.

Within a year, Bündchen's relationship with Valente left the realm of speculation and entered super-serious territory. But that doesn't mean she's ready to put her relationship out in the open. The few times she has posted about Valente on social media have been in the context of her jiu-jitsu practice — and that was before they became a couple. Valente, for his part, has his Instagram page set to private, showing he shares Bündchen's interest in keeping his personal life to himself. But despite their efforts, enough information has come out to paint a picture of how their relationship evolved. 

Gisele Bündchen was still married to Tom Brady when her path crossed with Joaquim Valente's. At first, their relationship was strictly professional. In 2021, she began searching for instructors in an effort to introduce her son Benjamin to the world of martial arts. She came to the Valente Brothers Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school at the suggestion of a friend. "Since I wanted to steer my almost teenage son in the right direction, I thought he might be interested in this," she told Dust magazine in late 2022 (via Valente Brothers).

But Bündchen ended up becoming interested in learning the combat sport herself after finding out more about it. She felt her own take on life closely aligned with the teachings of the martial art. "I became really interested in the philosophy ... It sounded like something I definitely wanted to learn more about," she said. "And then I was hooked."

By February 2022, she was a dedicated student under Valente. "Since I started practicing self-defense, I feel stronger, more confident and empowered. It's an important skill for everyone, but especially for us women," she captioned an Instagram clip of two practicing. According to sources, a friendship between the two blossomed as she fell in love with jiu-jitsu. As her marriage fell apart, Bündchen saw herself turning to Valente for support. "Joaquim was there for Gisele through her divorce, as a friend," an insider told Us Weekly in February 2024. 

In mid-November 2022, just two weeks after filing for divorce from Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen was seen with Joaquim Valente in Costa Rica, where she has a beachside retreat. They were accompanied by Bündchen and Brady's son and daughter, which further fueled interest in their relationship. After all, if she felt comfortable enough to bring Valente on a trip with her children, she must have been bringing him around them quite a bit before then.

However, some say the pair were still just friends at that point and that Valente's presence on a family trip was nothing new. Another jiu-jitsu instructor who works with Valente also tagged along for the trip. "Jordan and Joaquim travel with the family when they're out of town because the kids are homeschooled," a source told Page Six. Their presence in the country showed nothing but a close friendship between Bündchen and her kids' martial arts teachers, the insider insisted.

"Joaquim and his two brothers [all three seen above] have instructed Gisele and the children in martial arts for the past year and a half," the source said. Another source confirmed to the Brazilian portal InMag that Jordan and Valente had been on about four or five trips to Costa Rica with the family and that the one in question just happened to be shortly after the divorce. "They've been there a lot and will continue to travel there," the insider said.

Mega/Getty Images

In the months that followed the divorce, Gisele Bündchen was spotted several times in the company of Joaquim Valente. They went running together, ate dinner with Bündchen's kids, rode horses, and even shared AirPods. But none of that amounted to a romantic relationship. At least that's what Bündchen claimed. "I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I'm divorced, I'm sure that they're going to try to attach me to anything," she told Vanity Fair in March 2023 about the rumors regarding her relationship with the jiu-jitsu instructor.

She wasn't afraid to profess her admiration for Valente and his family, though. "I'm so grateful to know all of them, because not only have they helped me and helped my kids, but they have become great friends, and Joaquim especially," she said. According to the source who spoke with Us Weekly in February 2024, Bündchen's relationship with Valente turned romantic in the summer of 2023 — a few months after the Vanity Fair interview. 

In a March 2024 interview with The New York Times, Bündchen addressed speculation that she cheated on Tom Brady with Joaquim Valente. "That is a lie," she said, suggesting that her relationship with the jiu-jitsu instructor didn't become romantic until much later. But she refused to linger on the rumors surrounding her ex-husband and boyfriend. "I really don't want to make my life a tabloid," she said. "I don't want to open myself up to all of that."

Mega/Getty Images

Though Gisele Bündchen has remained protective of her relationship with Joaquim Valente, she seemingly relaxed a bit in 2024. That February, she was captured on camera kissing her boyfriend in public for the first time, apparently unworried about being seen. The two had seemingly enjoyed a romantic Valentine's Day dinner date in Miami, making it clear that they were a couple in love. Their public outings became more frequent into the year.

In June, they were seen on a walk with their dogs. A month later, they arrived together for a Pilates class, as seen above. Even though Bündchen has kept her relationship out of social media and largely separate from her public life, she has become comfortable enough to discuss it. "This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first," she said in her New York Times interview, admitting for the first time to having a boyfriend. She didn't name any names, though.

Bündchen also gave insight into how she felt about it in contrast with her previous relationships. "It's very different. It is very honest, and it's very transparent," she said. Bündchen is reportedly enjoying being in a relationship with someone from her background, something she hasn't experienced before. "Gisele also loves being with someone who is from Brazil, they both have a shared history that she hasn't had with anyone she's dated," the Us Weekly source said.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images

After being friends for years, the romantic side of Gisele Bündchen's relationship with Joaquim Valente moved pretty fast. Just a year after taking it to the next level, word that Bündchen and Valente were expecting a baby together hit the news, making waves in the world of celebrity news. "Gisele and Joaquim are happy for this new chapter in their life and they're looking forward to creating a peaceful and loving environment for the whole family," a source confirmed to People in late October 2024.

The baby is Bündchen's third child and Valente's first. Since Bündchen hasn't commented on the pregnancy as of this writing, details are still hazy. But she was reportedly a few months along when the news broke — and apparently, she was having a hard time concealing her bump. "[While she] wanted to keep it private for as long as she could, doing so was starting to be a challenge," an insider told People in a November update.

One aspect of the pregnancy Bündchen and Valente could keep concealed a bit longer was their baby's sex, which they reportedly decided to wait until birth to find out themselves. Even though getting pregnant past age 40 as she did comes with an increased risk of certain health issues, Bündchen was reportedly handling her pregnancy well thanks to the years she dedicated to taking great care of her health. She continued to do Pilates and exercise regularly while maintaining the largely plant-based diet she's known for. "[She's] always taken amazing care of herself," the source added.