Gisele Bundchen 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 first husband Tom Brady.
News of the pregnancy 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 siblings Pedro and Gui Valente in Miami.
According to their studio website, Joaquim and his brothers were taught jiu-jitsu from their father before they even started walking.
Joaquim Valente, Gisele Bundchen’s boyfriend, is a jiu-jitsu instructor and co-founder of the self-defense studio Valente Brothers in Miami
People has confirmed that the couple are expecting their first child together
The siblings began taking private lessons from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, who famously developed Brazilian jiu-jitsu, at age two.
They also trained on a regular basis at the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro.
The martial art runs in their family – three generations of Valentes have taken part in the sport.
Valente also has a criminology degree 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 her ex-husband Tom Brady.
Gisele and Joaquim first met in December 2021 when she sought out jiu-jitsu training for her son and then decided to take classes too.
In early July, the lovebirds enjoyed a summer vacation to Costa Rica with her two children.
She told Dust Magazine: ‘Initially, I wasn’t even considering it for myself. But when I brought [her son Ben] to the first class and started talking to Joaquim, I realized that it was much more than self defense.’
Adding that the jiu-jitsu philosophy interested her the most: ‘It felt very much in line with what I believe in and look for in my life, and how I have a path to develop and become the best version of myself.’
Joaquim (right) is pictured with his brothers Pedro and Gui Valente, with whom he runs their Miami studio
Bundchen was previously married to Tom Brady and shares two children with him
The duo sparked romance rumors when they were seen together in November 2022 in Costa Rica, two weeks after her divorce from Tom was finalized.
Gisele denied they were romantically involved.
Despite the questionable timeline of their relationship, Bündchen denied cheating on her husband of 13 years.
‘That is a lie,’ she said in an interview with The New York Times late March, explaining that she doesn’t ‘want to make my life a tabloid.’
‘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,’ explained Bündchen.
Bündchen also confirmed her new relationship in that same interview, although she didn’t name Valente.
‘This is the first time I am seeing someone that was a friend of mine first,’ Bündchen told NYT. ‘It’s very different. It is very honest, and it’s very transparent.’
The couple was first romantically linked on Valentine’s Day as they were photographed sharing a kiss 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’re taking it slow.’
Another insider said ‘they started out as friends’ and had a lot in common, both moving from their native Brazil at a young age.
‘He was a huge comfort for Gisele while she went through her divorce,’ the source said. ‘Their friendship turned romantic after the divorce.’
In February 2024, a source for People revealed that Gisele and Joaquim have actually been dating since June 2023.
