Tom Brady has shared a cryptic post on Instagram after ex Gisele Bündchen broke her silence on their divorce and called it the “death of her dream”.
The 45-year-old athlete took to his Instagram Story on Thursday to share a quote about success from essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson. It followed Bündchen’s interview with Vanity Fair, where she spoke candidly about their split after 13 years of marriage and shut down speculation that they broke up because of his decision to unretire from the NFL in February 2022.
Brady’s quote on his Instagram began with Emerson’s definition of success, which read: “To laugh often and much; To win the rest of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends.”
The quote continued to address some of the joys that come out of success, including having children. Brady is the father of two children with Bündchen, 12-year-old Benjamin and nine-year-old Vivian, and he has a 15-year-old son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan.
“To appreciate the beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a deemed social condition,” the post added. “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!”
Along with the photo of this quote, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers star shared three red heart emojis.
One day before Brady’s cryptic post, Bündchen called their divorce “the death of my dream” in herVanity Fair interview and said she was mourning the loss of her relationship.
“It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” she said tearfully, according to the outlet. “I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it’s beautiful to believe in that. I mean, I’m so grateful I did.”
She continued: “You give everything you got to achieve your dream. You give a hundred percent of yourself, and it’s heartbreaking when it doesn’t end up the way you hoped for, and worked for, but you can only do your part.”
The former model also addressed rumours about what caused her breakup, as she denied speculation that she told Brady that she had to choose between their family and his career. In fact, she said that she maintained her support for the Super Bowl champion.
“Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever,” she said. “If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me. I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart.”
After Bündchen said that “everything” in the stories on their divorce wasn’t true, she pointed out that “what’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle,” adding that her split is “not so black and white.”
Bündchen revealed that part of the reason why they broke up was simply because they grew apart, after meeting when she was 26 and he was 29.
“As time goes by, we realise that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person. It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live, you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right?”
She also told Vanity Fair that she’ll maintain an amicable relationship with her spouse, despite what the tabloids may say. “We’re not playing against each other,” Bündchen explained. “We are a team and that’s beautiful. I look back and I have no regrets. I loved every bit of it.”
In October 2022, the former couple, who tied the knot in 2009, announced in joint statements on their Instagram accounts that they were divorcing. On her account, she wrote: “With much gratitude for our time together, Tom and I have amicably finalised our divorce. My priority has always been and will continue to be our children whom I love with all my heart. We will continue co-parenting to give them the love, care and attention they greatly deserve.”
“And while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always,” she continued. “I kindly ask that our privacy be respected during this sensitive time.”
