Gisele Bündchen is pregnant and expecting her first child with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente. People has confirmed.
The model, 44, has been dating Joaquim since June 2023, a year after her divorce from her first husband, Tom Brady.
The pregnancy news has been making headlines, but who exactly is Joaquim?
Valente is a jiu-jitsu instructor at The Valente Brothers, a self-defense studio he owns with his brothers Pedro and Gui Valente in Miami.
According to his studio’s website, Joaquim and his brothers were taught jiu-jitsu by their father before they even started walking.
Joaquim Valente, Gisele Bundchen’s boyfriend, is a jiu-jitsu instructor and co-founder of the Valente Brothers self-defense studio in Miami.
People has confirmed that the couple is expecting their first child together.
The brothers began receiving private lessons from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, who developed the famous Brazilian jiu-jitsu, at the age of two.
They also trained regularly at the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro.
The martial art runs in the family: three generations of Valentes have practiced this sport.
Valente also has a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Barry University.
This will be Gisele’s third child and Joaquim’s first; She also shares son Benjamin Rein Brady, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11, with ex-husband Tom Brady.
Gisele and Joaquim met in December 2021, when she sought jiu-jitsu training for her son and then decided to take classes as well.
In early July, the lovebirds enjoyed a summer vacation in Costa Rica with their two children.
she said dust magazine: ‘At first, I wasn’t even considering it for myself. But when I took (his son Ben) to the first class and started talking to Joaquim, I realized it was much more than self-defense.’
She added that the philosophy of jiu-jitsu was what interested her the most: “It felt very in line with what I believe in and seek in my life, and how I have a path to develop and become the best version of myself.”
Joaquim (right) appears with his brothers Pedro and Gui Valente, with whom he runs his studio in Miami.
Bundchen was previously married to Tom Brady and shares two children with him.
The duo sparked romance rumors when they were spotted together in November 2022 in Costa Rica, two weeks after her divorce from Tom was finalized.
Gisele denied that they had a romantic relationship.
Despite the questionable timeline of their relationship, Bündchen denied cheating on her husband of 13 years.
“That’s a lie,” he said in an interview with The New York Times at the end of March, explaining that he doesn’t “want to make a tabloid out of my life.”
“This is something that happens to many women, who are blamed for having the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship and are labeled as unfaithful,” Bündchen explained.
Bündchen also confirmed her new relationship in that same interview, although she did not name Valente.
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone who was a friend of mine,” Bündchen told the NYT. ‘It’s very different. “He is very honest and very transparent.”
The couple were first romantically linked on Valentine’s Day when they were photographed kissing during a date in Miami. Page Six reported at the time that the couple is “deeply in love.”
A source told People that Bündchen and Valente “have been dating since June,” adding, “They are taking it slow.”
Another source said they “started off as friends” and had a lot in common, having both moved from their native Brazil at a young age.
“He was a great comfort to Gisele while she was going through a divorce,” the source said. “Their friendship turned romantic after the divorce.”
In February 2024, a People source revealed that Gisele and Joaquim have actually been dating since June 2023.