“A person that I admire”: Gisele Bundchen opens up about jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente

Brazilian fashion model Gisele Bundchen opened up about her platonic relationship with jiu-jitsu trainer Joaquim Valente.

In an interview with Vanity Fair published on March 22, 2023, the 42-year-old star shared how people perceive her friendship with the Miami-based martial arts teacher:

"I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I'm divorced, I'm sure that they're going to try to attach me to anything. [Joaquim Valente]'s our teacher and, most importantly, he's a person that I admire and that I trust. It's so good to have that kind of energy, to have my kids around that type of energy."

Gisele Bundchen first met Valente and his brothers Gui and Pedro when she admitted her 13-year-old son, Benjamin, to their martial arts academy in Miami, Florida.

Bundchen, who is one of the highest-paid models in the world, practices martial arts with her kids Benjamin, Jack, and Vivian alongside the Valente brothers.

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Gisele Bundchen praised Joaquim Valente and his brothers

In the same interview with Vanity Fair, Gisele Bundchen gushed about Joaquim Valente and his brothers for their bond with her and her kids:

"I'm so grateful to know all of them, because not only have they helped me and helped my kids, but they have become great friends, and Joaquim especially. They're all like senseis. How can I help them to have a person that has that level of integrity and can teach them values?"

Calling them "awesome people," Bundchen said that the Valente brothers have created a "safe space" for them.

The Brazilian supermodel first sparked rumors with Joaquim in November 2022, when they visited Costa Rica's Provincia de Puntarenas together, two weeks after her divorce was finalized with NFL player Tom Brady.

They were accompanied by the supermodel's two children, Benjamin and Vivian, as well as several other individuals, including one of the children's instructors.

At the time, a source told Bang Showbiz:

"Any suggestion that Gisele's relationship with Joaquim Valente is anything other than strictly platonic and professional is just ridiculous. It is not just completely false—it's absurd!"

A source told People Magazine in January 2023 that Gisele and Joaquim share a close bond and are not rushing to add any label to it.

"Gisele adores and trusts [Joaquim] and has been spending a lot of time with him, but I don't think it's a traditional dating scenario. They have a deep personal relationship, and he is a teacher to her and the kids. Whether or not it will ever become more than that rests on the table."

The news of Gisele Bundchen and the jiu-jitsu teacher comes months after the former got divorced from Brady in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage. However, the former couple has stayed tight-lipped about the reason surrounding their split.