Gisele Bundchen is in love again after her divorce from Tom Brady as she was spotted enjoying a romantic dinner date with hunky Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente. In Cota Rica on Saturday. New photos show the supermodel cozying up with Valente, her jiu-jitsu instructor. And the two looked happy.
The spotting comes less than a month after Bündchen and Brady, 45, finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage. Brady’s decision to retire from the NFL reportedly sparked an “epic fight” between the couple, which led to their separation. Trouble in paradise erupted when Bündchen left the family’s Florida home because, according to a source who spoke to Page Six, she was angry that her ex-husband had changed his mind.
Love Is in the Air
In brand-new photos released by Page Six on Monday, the 42-year-old supermodel and dashing martial arts instructor were spotted out on Saturday night at Koji in Provincia de Puntarenas along with her two children, Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, 9.
It is unknown when Bündchen’s romance with Joaquim began, despite the fact that there were indications her relationship with Brady was in trouble weeks before their final breakup.
However, Bundchen has known Valente for some time now given that she did a photoshoot for Dust Magazine with his brothers, Pedro and Giu Valente, in 2021.
The siblings took part in the shoot with the supermodel where she exercised her self-defense abilities on them. The brothers run a Valente Brothers Self Defense club in Miami where they instruct the grappling and submission-based martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
In a video that Gisele posted in February, she can be seen training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu with Valente and his brothers in their gym. At one point in the video, she even seems to be putting her new love interest in a rear-naked choke.
As she captioned the training video for her 20.1 million followers, she gushed about the brothers: “I believe the more tools we have in our toolbox the better. I feel stronger, more confidence and empowered since I started practicing self-defense.
“I feel it’s an important skill for all, but specially for us women. Thank you @ValenteBrothers for being awesome teachers and for making training so much fun. I am looking forward to keep improving. Let’s go! [fist emoji]”
Brady reacted via Twitter at the time, joking, “My days of leaving dishes in the sink are numbered.”
Stealing Bundchen’s Heart
Bundchen and Valente bonded over jiu-jitsu and grew closer over the years, according to reports. Valente and his brothers, Pedro Valente and Gui Valente, began learning jiu-jitsu “from their father before they could walk” and now teach at the Valente Brothers facility.
“At the tender age of 2, Pedro, Gui and Joaquim were already taking private lessons from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie,” reads the company’s website. “Growing up, the Valente brothers trained daily at the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro.”
Joaquim and his brothers are the children of Pedro Valente Sr., who received the red belt and title of Grand Master, the highest honor in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, the renowned creator of the martial art.
In an effort to demonstrate the value of their martial art, the Gracies also founded the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. Since then, it has grown to become the world’s most prestigious mixed martial arts league.
According to Valente’s LinkedIn profile, he started attending Barry University in 2007 and received his bachelor’s in criminology four years later. Valente’s exact age is unknown. However, he was born on November 6 and went to school in Rio de Janeiro from 1990 until 2007.
He relocated to Florida from Brazil to attend Barry University and has since made Florida his home. Alongside his family, the athlete teaches at the Valente Brothers’ Miami Beach headquarters.
