Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente have built a relationship that developed quietly from friendship and shared interests into family life. Bündchen, one of the world’s most recognizable supermodels, first met Valente through his jiu-jitsu academy in Miami. Her son Benjamin began training there, and Bündchen eventually started practicing herself. Their relationship initially remained private, with the pair becoming romantically linked after Bündchen’s divorce from Tom Brady. By 2025, their relationship had entered another chapter when they welcomed their first child together.
The couple has generally avoided turning their relationship into a public spectacle. Bündchen has spoken about valuing privacy, while Valente has maintained a relatively low public profile despite his connection to one of the world’s most famous models. Their story combines family, Brazilian heritage, wellness, martial arts, and a shared preference for a quieter lifestyle. Recent reporting also identifies Valente as Bündchen’s husband, showing how their relationship has developed since those early days as friends and instructor and student.
Quick Bio Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente
| Detail | Gisele Bündchen | Joaquim Valente |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Gisele Caroline Bündchen | Joaquim Valente |
| Known For | International supermodel, entrepreneur | Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor |
| Born | July 20, 1980 | Not reliably publicly documented |
| Birthplace | Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian | Brazilian |
| Profession | Model, Entrepreneur, Author | Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, Professor |
| Known For | Fashion, modeling, wellness, environmental work | Valente Brothers and Brazilian jiu-jitsu |
| Relationship | Married to Joaquim Valente | Married to Gisele Bündchen |
| Children Together | One son | One son |
| Other Children | Benjamin and Vivian with Tom Brady | — |
| Relationship Began | Reported as romantic in 2023 | Reported as romantic in 2023 |
| Marriage | Reported in 2025 | Reported in 2025 |
| Jiu-Jitsu Connection | Trained at Valente Brothers | Co-founder of Valente Brothers |
| Education | Modeling career began as a teenager | Degree in Criminology, Barry University |
| Martial Arts Background | Student of jiu-jitsu | Trained under Grandmaster Hélio Gracie |
| Valente Brothers Founded | — | 1993, with brothers Pedro and Gui |
| Professional Base | International / United States | South Florida, United States |
Who Is Gisele Bündchen?
Gisele Bündchen is a Brazilian-born supermodel who became one of the defining fashion figures of the late 1990s and 2000s. She began modeling as a teenager and eventually worked with many of the industry’s most influential photographers, designers, and fashion houses. Her distinctive look helped her become one of the most recognizable models of her generation. She also became known beyond fashion through major campaigns, magazine covers, business ventures, environmental advocacy, and high-profile relationships.
Bündchen was previously married to former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. The couple married in 2009 and share two children, Benjamin and Vivian. Their divorce was finalized in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. Bündchen later entered a relationship with Joaquim Valente, and their family expanded when they welcomed a son in February 2025. She has continued to balance motherhood, wellness, selective professional projects, and her broader public work.
Who Is Joaquim Valente?
Joaquim Valente is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and one of the founders of Valente Brothers, a family-owned martial arts organization based in South Florida. He is the youngest of three Valente brothers, alongside Pedro and Gui. According to the family’s official history, the brothers grew up practicing jūjutsu and trained under Grandmaster Hélio Gracie. Joaquim later moved to Miami in 2007 to study criminology at Barry University.
Valente’s professional background differs considerably from Bündchen’s entertainment and fashion career. His work centers on martial arts instruction and self-defense education. The Valente Brothers describes its approach as traditional jūjutsu, combining techniques such as striking, throwing, and ground work. Joaquim received his Professor’s Diploma from Hélio Gracie in 2007, according to the family’s official history.
How Did Gisele Bündchen Meet Joaquim Valente?
Bündchen’s connection with Valente began through her son rather than through the entertainment industry. According to reporting on their relationship, she enrolled Benjamin in classes at Valente Brothers after a friend recommended the academy. Bündchen eventually became interested in the practice herself and began training with Valente. Their initial relationship therefore centered on martial arts and family rather than romance.
In a 2021 interview referenced by Us Weekly, Bündchen explained that her son was the reason she met Joaquim. The relationship later developed through their shared training and friendship. This background is important because it explains why early photographs of the two did not necessarily indicate a romantic relationship. Their connection existed before they became a couple, and both maintained a relatively private approach to their personal lives.
From Friendship to Romance
Bündchen and Valente were first publicly linked as friends before their relationship became romantic. They were photographed together during trips and family outings, including time in Costa Rica. At the time, reports about a possible romance circulated, but people close to Bündchen reportedly described Valente as a longtime instructor and friend. Their public relationship status became clearer in 2023.
According to later reporting, the pair began dating in June 2023. Their relationship followed Bündchen’s divorce from Brady in 2022. The couple’s history as friends appears to have influenced how they approached their relationship, with Bündchen later describing the experience of dating someone who had first been a friend as different from her previous relationships. Their shared Brazilian background and interest in healthy living have also been discussed in reporting about the couple.
Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente’s Relationship Timeline
Their relationship timeline began with martial arts training in 2021. Bündchen became connected to the Valente family through Benjamin’s lessons and subsequently trained herself. By 2022 and early 2023, photographs of Bündchen and Valente together generated speculation, although their relationship was not immediately confirmed as romantic. Their friendship eventually developed into a relationship, with dating reports emerging in 2023.
The couple’s relationship became increasingly visible during 2024. Bündchen and Valente appeared together publicly, including at the launch of her cookbook Nourish. Later that year, news emerged that Bündchen was expecting her third child and first with Valente. In February 2025, the couple welcomed a baby boy. By 2026, reputable coverage described Valente as Bündchen’s husband, reflecting another stage in their relationship.
Their First Child Together
Bündchen and Valente welcomed their first child together in February 2025. The baby is a boy, according to a source cited by People and subsequent coverage. Bündchen had already been a mother to Benjamin and Vivian from her previous marriage to Tom Brady. The birth therefore marked an expansion of a blended family that already included her two older children.
The couple has maintained considerable privacy around their youngest child. Early coverage noted that they had not immediately shared extensive details or photographs of the baby. This approach fits with Bündchen’s broader preference for protecting her personal life from excessive media attention. In later coverage, she has spoken positively about motherhood and described welcoming her son at 44 as an important and meaningful stage of her life.
Gisele Bündchen’s Children and Family Life
Bündchen has three children. She shares Benjamin and Vivian with Tom Brady, while her youngest child is her son with Joaquim Valente. Her approach to motherhood has remained an important part of her public identity, particularly since she stepped back from the regular demands of runway modeling. Recent coverage has highlighted her focus on raising her children and spending time with her family.
The family’s lifestyle also reflects Bündchen’s long-standing interest in wellness and outdoor activities. She has been associated with yoga, meditation, nutrition, and environmental causes for many years. Valente’s martial arts background adds another dimension to that lifestyle. Their shared interest in physical activity appears to be one of the practical links between their professional and personal worlds, although the couple generally keeps details of their family routine private.
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Their Shared Brazilian Background
Bündchen and Valente both come from Brazil, giving them a cultural connection that has been discussed in coverage of their relationship. Bündchen was born in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, while Valente comes from a Brazilian family deeply connected to jūjutsu. The Valente family’s martial arts history traces back to Rio de Janeiro and its relationship with the Gracie family.
Their shared background may also help explain aspects of their private family life. Bündchen has spoken over the years about her Brazilian upbringing, family values, nature, and wellness philosophy. Valente’s professional life is similarly rooted in a Brazilian martial arts tradition that his family has carried into the United States. Their relationship therefore developed around more than celebrity status, with family culture and shared interests forming part of their connection.
The Valente Brothers Connection
Valente Brothers is central to understanding how Bündchen and Joaquim first crossed paths. The academy was founded in Miami by members of the Valente family and has developed into a South Florida institution focused on jūjutsu and self-defense. The organization’s official history says the brothers Pedro, Gui, and Joaquim were trained from childhood and later helped develop the academy’s curriculum.
The academy also has a documented connection with prominent students, including Bündchen. Valente Brothers states that it has trained people from professional sports as well as law enforcement and military communities. The organization’s history emphasizes its relationship with the teachings of Hélio Gracie and its focus on traditional jūjutsu. Joaquim’s role there provides the professional context for his initial relationship with Bündchen and her family.
Gisele’s Interest in Jiu-Jitsu
Bündchen’s involvement with jiu-jitsu became more than a way to accompany her son. She discussed the practice in connection with her broader interest in wellness and personal development. In an interview cited by Us Weekly, she explained that she became interested in the philosophy behind the martial art and felt it aligned with ideas she already valued. Her participation also gave her a shared activity with her children and the Valente family.
Her interest in martial arts fits within a much longer history of physical activity. Bündchen has previously discussed yoga, meditation, exercise, nutrition, and outdoor living. Jiu-jitsu added a more technical discipline to that routine. While Valente was her instructor, their relationship eventually moved beyond the training environment. The progression from family activity to friendship and later romance has become a central part of the couple’s publicly reported story.
Their Private Approach to Public Life
Bündchen has spent much of her career under intense media attention, but she has repeatedly expressed a desire to keep important parts of her private life away from tabloids. That approach became especially noticeable during her relationship with Valente. Rather than constantly appearing together at major events, the couple has generally been seen during everyday activities, family outings, travel, and wellness-related moments.
Valente has maintained an even lower public profile. His professional identity comes primarily from martial arts rather than entertainment, and his social media presence has been described as private. This difference from Bündchen’s global fame has helped keep much of their relationship outside the traditional celebrity spotlight. Their preference for privacy also means that some personal details about their marriage and family remain undisclosed.
Their Marriage
By 2025, reports emerged that Bündchen and Valente had married in a private ceremony. Coverage from Vogue España in December 2025 described reports that the couple had married earlier that month at their home in Surfside, Florida. Later 2026 coverage from People and Vogue referred to Valente as Bündchen’s husband.
The reported marriage marked another stage in a relationship that had developed gradually. Instead of beginning with a public Hollywood romance, their connection started through their children and martial arts. They became friends, began dating, welcomed a child, and later were reported to have married. Because the couple has kept many details private, information about the ceremony itself remains limited compared with the extensive coverage of Bündchen’s previous marriage.
Life Together in Miami
Miami has played an important role in the couple’s life. Valente’s family operates its jiu-jitsu organization in South Florida, while Bündchen has also spent substantial time in the Miami area. The region provides a setting where the family can combine outdoor activities, fitness, work, and family life without the constant visibility associated with Hollywood or major fashion capitals.
Recent coverage has shown Bündchen and Valente enjoying everyday activities together, including outdoor outings and time near the water. In 2026, Vogue reported seeing Bündchen with her husband and their son while traveling in Brazil. Such appearances offer occasional glimpses into their family life, although the couple continues to avoid making their private routine a major public story.
What Makes Their Relationship Different From Gisele’s Past?
Bündchen’s relationship with Valente developed after a long marriage to Brady, but the circumstances were notably different. Valente entered her life through her children and martial arts rather than through the entertainment or professional sports industries. Their connection developed gradually, first through training and friendship before becoming romantic.
The couple also shares several lifestyle interests, including fitness, nutrition, family, and Brazilian culture. Those similarities have been highlighted in reporting about their relationship. However, the couple themselves have not presented every aspect of their relationship publicly. As a result, the most reliable picture comes from their documented appearances, interviews, professional backgrounds, and statements attributed to them or reputable sources.
Conclusion
Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente have built a relationship that began through jiu-jitsu and family connections before developing into a partnership and marriage. Bündchen first encountered Valente through her son Benjamin’s martial arts training. She later became a student herself, and the two developed a friendship. Their relationship became romantic in 2023, and they welcomed their first child together in February 2025. Later reporting identified Valente as Bündchen’s husband.
Their family life remains deliberately private, but the public record shows a relationship built around shared interests, Brazilian heritage, wellness, and parenting. Bündchen continues to balance motherhood with selective professional work, while Valente remains active in the Valente Brothers jūjutsu organization. Together, they represent a quieter chapter in Bündchen’s life, one that has developed away from the highly public relationships that defined parts of her earlier career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Joaquim Valente?
Joaquim Valente is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor and co-founder of Valente Brothers in South Florida. He also studied criminology at Barry University.
How did Gisele Bündchen meet Joaquim Valente?
Bündchen met Valente through her son Benjamin, who began taking jiu-jitsu classes at Valente Brothers. She later started training there herself.
When did Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente start dating?
Reports place the beginning of their romantic relationship in June 2023, after they had known each other as friends and through jiu-jitsu.
Are Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente married?
Recent reporting identifies Valente as Bündchen’s husband. Reports in December 2025 said they had married in a private ceremony in Florida.
Do Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente have children?
Yes. They welcomed a son in February 2025. Bündchen also has two older children, Benjamin and Vivian, from her marriage to Tom Brady.
What does Joaquim Valente do?
Valente is a jiu-jitsu instructor and part of the Valente Brothers organization, which his family operates in South Florida.
Where does Joaquim Valente work?
He works with Valente Brothers, a South Florida jūjutsu organization founded by members of the Valente family.
What is the age difference between Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente?
Bündchen was born in 1980. Valente’s exact birth date is not consistently documented in authoritative public sources, so a precise age difference should not be stated as fact.
Was Joaquim Valente involved in Gisele’s life before their romance?
Yes. Public reporting indicates that Valente knew Bündchen through her family’s jiu-jitsu training before their relationship became romantic.
What is the connection between Gisele Bündchen and Valente Brothers?
Valente Brothers is the martial arts academy associated with Joaquim and his brothers. Bündchen became connected to the organization after enrolling her son and later training there herself.
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