Tom Brady’s supermodel wife made a subtle public gesture on Wednesday when she was photographed no longer wearing her wedding ring while in public with her children.
Gisele Bündchen, 42, was spotted by the New York Post’s Page Six in Miami with her son Benjamin, 12, and daughter Vivian, 9, both of whom she shares with Brady.
News broke this week that Brady and Bündchen have both hired divorce lawyers, capping months of speculation that their marriage was on the rocks. The tipping point appears to have been a very recent, very nasty squabble.
Gisele Bündchen ditches wedding ring amid Tom Brady divorce lawyer news https://t.co/rStzDwLCMQ pic.twitter.com/Gzh3hSlWhx
— New York Post (@nypost) October 5, 2022
“I never actually thought this argument would be the end of them, but it looks like it is,” a source told the New York Post’s Page Six. “I don’t think there will be any coming back now. They both have lawyers and are looking at what a split will entail, who gets what and what the finances will be.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl champ hinted at problems on the homefront when he left training camp in August. But he returned to lead the team to a 2-2 record and a first-place perch in the NFC South Division.
TMZ reported late Tuesday evening that the two have been searching for divorce lawyers “for weeks,” and the marriage, at least at this point, “is beyond saving,” according to sources who spoke to the publication. Sources told the publication that if divorce papers are filed, the proceedings will take place in Florida.
The ageless Brady, still one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks at an unheard of 45, announced he was retiring earlier this year, but then changed his mind to return for another season. Bündchen made it clear she wanted him to hang up his cleats, but she seemed to understand he was happier on the gridiron, as The Daily Wire reported.
In an interview with Elle, Bündchen said the characterization that she was desperate for Brady to quit playing football was sexist.
“Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she said. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”
For his part, Brady, who vanished from training camp for 11 days in August, said last month on his “Let’s Go” podcast that he was starting to get nostalgic as his 23-year career winds down.
“As you get older, life changes quite a bit,” he told sportscaster Jim Gray. “There’s different responsibilities that take form in your life. There’s different perspectives you gain.”
“I’m just really feeling intensely my emotions,” he continued. “And I feel like I always have that, but I think when you get close to the end – and I don’t know exactly where I’m at with that, but there’s no decision to be made, it’s not like I have 10 years left, I definitely don’t have that.”
A divorce would not leave either in the poorhouse. The future Hall of Famer, whose salary is $26.5 million per year, has earned over $300 million during his career, plus endorsements from brands like Tag Heuer and Under Armour. Bündchen, 42, who was among the world’s highest-paid runway walkers when she married Brady, is reportedly worth even more than her husband.
The pair owns homes around the country, including a $17 million mansion on Indian Creek Island in Miami; a $3.6 million condo in New York’s Tony Tribeca neighborhood; a $5.7 million spread in Montana; and a vacation home on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.