Giselle Bundchen admits she ‘numbed herself’ after splitting with Leonardo DiCaprio

Catwalk queen Gisele Bündchen has opened up about the pain of splitting with former flame with Leonardo DiCaprio — admitting she turned to cigarettes and alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Gisele has opened up about the pain she felt after her split with Leonardo DiCaprio

In a recent interview, supermodel Gisele Bündchen has revealed that she turned to cigarettes and alcohol to numb herself following her split to Leonardo DiCaprio in 2005.

Speaking to PORTERMagazine, the 38-year-old spoke candidly about her romance with the Oscar-winning actor and the difficult decision to split after five years of dating.

She said: “No longer numbing myself with smoking, drinking and too much work, I was becoming more and more aware of things that I’d chosen not to look at.”

The genetically-blessed couple dated for five years, between 2000-2005. Picture: Getty

The Victoria’s secret alum went on to reveal the straw the broke the camel’s back.

She said: “Was I alone in wanting to do some serious soul-searching while he stayed the same? In the end, unfortunately, the answer was yes.”

The couple ultimately called it quits because they wanted different things. Picture: AP

Gisele went on to wed NFL star Tom Brady, and now share two children, Benjamin, nine, and Vivian, six.

The Revenant star, meanwhile, has continued his modelising ways, and has dated a bevy of catwalk queens since, and is now in a relationship with model and actor Camila Morrone, 21.

Happy ending: the model ultimately found love with NFL star Tom Brady. Picture: Getty

Gisele’s formidable modelling career has spanned two decades and is known for her fierce presence on the runway.

The Brazillian beauty has remained at the top of the industry since her debut in 1997, but admitted that she still suffered anxiety and panic attacks.

“When I was going through my panic attacks, I didn’t even feel like I could share with anyone. I thought maybe I don’t have the right, everybody is going through so many difficult things in the world, and I don’t have the right to feel this way. So I’d suppress it, and the more I suppressed it, the bigger it became.”

Camila Morrone is Leonardo DiCaprio’s current girlfriend. Picture: Supplied

The actor is known for his preference in models. Picture: Getty

She also paid homage to the strong women in her family, saying that her relatives were worlds apart from the models she worked alongside.

“I come from a family of six strong, beautiful women.

The way I grew up, we always supported each other, we helped each other, we loved each other. But when I left home, that’s not what I felt with the other models.

‘I did not understand why anyone would not want the best for me, when I wanted the best for everybody.”