‘Live her own life’: Tom Brady retirement backflip not to blame for divorce

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen always seemed like a couple that had worked out how to be wildly successful and together.

Gisele Bündchen is “settling in” to the new chapter in her life following her divorce from Tom Brady after 13 years of marriage, The New York Post reported.

The 42-year-old supermodel, who announced her split from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 45, last Friday, isn’t fearful about forging ahead solo, as she “has lived her own life for years while Tom played football so she is not afraid to do things by herself,” a source recently told People.

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Rumours regarding the state of Bündchen and Brady’s marriage had been circulating for weeks prior to their October split.

Page Six exclusively reported over the summer how the couple — which shares son Benjamin, 12, and 9-year-old daughter Vivian — had engaged in arguments over Brady’s decision to un-retire from the NFL. An insider later shut down speculation that their marital troubles stemmed from football.

“The problems are not due to his decision to play football again — sometimes things are complicated,” a source told Page Six in late September.

Gisele was essentially a football widow. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Bündchen and Brady announced their divorce on Oct. 28. The couple — who have an “iron-clad” prenup — posted separate statements on social media.

“We have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always,” she wrote at the time.

An insider added of Bündchen to People that while parting ways with Brady “was hard at first,” “enough time has passed that she is settling in.”

As for Brady, who is currently in his 23rd NFL season, an insider alleged to People that the seven-time Super Bowl champion “didn’t want the divorce and he didn’t want the marriage to end.”

“This was not Tom’s idea,” the source said in reference to the break-up, noting how Brady “wanted to do whatever he needed to do to fix things.”

Tom wanted to save the marriage. Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Brady spoke Monday on his SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Go!” about how he’s coping in light of the divorce.

“There’s a lot of professionals in life that go through things that they deal with at work and they deal with at home,” Brady said. “And obviously the good news is it’s a very amicable situation and I’m really focused on two things: taking care of my family and certainly my children, secondly doing the best job I can to win football games.”

Brady’s Buccaneers are currently 3-5 after dropping three straight games. They’ll host the reigning Super Bowl champion Rams (3-4) on Sunday.

This story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.