Despite being a mother, author, athlete, and chef, Gisele Bündchen is most recognized as a supermodel and was once the highest-paid model in the world.
There is a lot of interest in the Brazilian native’s dating life because so many people are constantly watching her.
From her five-year relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio to her 13-year marriage to NFL quarterback Tom Brady, Bündchen has also had a number of well-publicized relationships.
After meeting in December 2006 and getting married in February 2009, Bündchen and Brady had two children: a daughter named Vivian and a son named Benjamin.
(Bündchen’s first marriage to actress and model Bridget Moynahan also resulted in her becoming a stepmother to Brady’s son John.) However, the pair ended their relationship in 2022, and in October of that year, they finalized their divorce.
Joaquim Valente, a jiu-jitsu coach, seems to be Bündchen’s new partner. Although the two have largely kept their relationship quiet, People reported in February that they were dating and that they had been together since June 2023.
He runs a jiu-jitsu training academy with his brothers.
Being a native Brazilian like Bündchen, Valente is obsessed about moving his body. He and his siblings own the Valente Brothers jiu-jitsu academy in North Miami.
Nearly 70 years ago, the family began practicing the martial art, according to the school’s website. Grandmasters Carlos and Hélio Gracie established the Academia Gracie in Rio de Janeiro in 1952, marking the beginning of it all. Pedro Sr., Syllo Valente’s son, was registered there shortly after. Grandmaster Hélio, whose enthusiasm for the game Pedro Sr. sparked, would eventually train three waves of Valentes.
After coming to the United States as young adults, Pedro Sr.’s three sons, Pedro Jr., Gui, and Joaquim, who had practiced jiu-jitsu since they were young children, were starting their own school by the 1990s. The Valente Brothers Academy, a thriving studio based on the Academia Gracie, formally opened its doors in Miami in 1998.
He met Gisele because she trains at his studio.
When the model began attending jiu-jitsu classes at his academy in 2021, Bündchen and Valente first crossed paths.
At the time, Bündchen was still married to Brady, and a close source told People that she and Valente were strictly platonic at first. “They started out as friends,” the insider said. “He was a huge comfort for Gisele while she went through her divorce. Their friendship turned romantic after the divorce.”
The source said the two connected due to shared interests and similar backgrounds. “They come from similar backgrounds,” the insider said. “They both left Brazil very young. They have both created amazing lives for themselves in the U.S. They both love Miami, but also enjoy traveling. They both enjoy healthy living.”
Bündchen has also trained in jiu-jitsu at the Valente Brothers academy, as have Brady’s two children. She actually began studying there because of her teenage son, Benjamin.
“Initially, I wasn’t even considering it for myself,” she told Dust Magazine in 2022. “But when I brought [my son] to the first class and started talking to Joaquim, I realized that it was much more than self-defense.”
He studied criminology at Barry University in Florida.
When Joaquim, the youngest of the brothers, relocated to the United States in 2007 to attend college, he followed in the footsteps of Pedro Jr. and Gui. He attended Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, to study criminology.
Additionally, he maintained a tight relationship with his brothers, both of whom earned degrees in Florida. Gui also attended Barry and graduated with a master’s degree in sports management, while Pedro Jr., the oldest brother, received an MBA from the University of Miami. When Joaquim started college, the two older brothers had previously graduated and were both still teaching jiu-jitsu in Miami. That might have played a role in his decision to go to Barry.
He has a private Instagram account.
For the most part, Valente keeps his private life out of the public eye. Although it is now set to private, he does have an Instagram account with nearly 10,000 followers.
Valente’s bio, which contains the usernames for the Valente Brothers academy account (@ValenteBrothers), the Valente Brothers Tactical Training account (@TacticalVB), and the account for 753 Code (@753Code), a lifestyle blog run by the Valentes, is the only information from the profile that is accessible to the general public. These guys’ brand-building is something you have to admire.
Bündchen describes their relationship as “very honest.”
In an interview with The New York Times in March 2024 to promote her cookbook Nourish, Bündchen talked candidly about her unfiltered friendship with Valente.
“This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first,” she said. “It’s very different. It is very honest, and it’s very transparent.”
In the interview, Bündchen also shut down rumors that she started her romance with Valente before her split from ex-husband Tom Brady. “That is a lie,” she said of the accusations of infidelity.
Bündchen addressed the criticism she faced after her separation from Brady. “This is something that happens to a lot of women who get blamed when they have the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship and are labeled as being unfaithful. They have to deal with their communities. They have to deal with their family,” she said. “Of course for me, it just happens to be a little bit amplified.”
