American football star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen, who married in 2009, announced their divorce on Friday, October 28.
After weeks of speculation in American tabloids, the couple confirmed the end of their marriage with statements on their Instagram accounts:
Gisele said:
“It is with great gratitude for our time together that Tom and I have amicably signed our divorce. My priority has always been and will continue to be our children, whom I love with all my heart,” wrote the model.
“We will continue to collaborate to give them the love, care, and attention they deserve. The decision to end a marriage is never easy, but we have grown apart, and while it is obviously difficult to go through this, I feel blessed for the time we spent together and always wish Tom the best.”
“I kindly ask that our privacy be respected during this sensitive time,” concluded Gisele.
Tom Brady, for his part, stated:
“In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce after 13 years of marriage. We came to this decision amicably, and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We have been blessed with wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world. We will continue to work together as parents to ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve.”
The player’s return to the field after announcing his retirement seems to have been the catalyst for the separation.
Tom retired from the NFL in February, only to reverse that decision. He took an 11-day leave from training camp in August to “deal with personal things,” according to his coach Todd Bowles.
In an interview with Elle magazine published last month, Gisele expressed her “concerns” about her husband’s return to the field.
“It’s a very violent sport, I have my children, and I wish he were more present,” she told the publication. “I definitely had that conversation with him several times. But ultimately, I feel that everyone has to make a decision that works for themselves. He needs to follow his joy too.”
In a recent conversation on his podcast, Tom spoke about some of the personal costs of playing in the NFL for two decades.
“I haven’t had a Christmas in 23 years and I haven’t had a Thanksgiving in 23 years, I haven’t celebrated birthdays with people I care about who were born from August to the end of January. And I can’t be at funerals and I can’t be at weddings,” Brady said. “I think there comes a point in your life when you say, ‘You know what? I’ve had enough, it’s time to move on, to move to other parts of life.’”
Source: CNN