Gisele Bündchen Addresses 'Very Hurtful' Rumors About Giving Ex Tom Brady An Ultimatum: 'It's Not So Black And White'

Speaking her truth. Following claims that Gisele Bündchen gave ex-husband Tom Brady an ultimatum, the supermodel addressed the rumors head on.

Opening up about the demise of her marriage to the NFL champ for the first time, Bündchen debunked beliefs that she made the father of her children choose between their marriage or his football career — as he famously returned to the field last year shortly after announcing his retirement.

"Wow, people really made it about that. What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle," she told Vanity Fair for the magazine's latest issue. "It’s not so black and white."

Calling the rumors "very hurtful" and "the craziest thing I've ever heard," Bündchen continued, "Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever. If there's one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it's him, believe me. I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart."

As for what led to their divorce — which Bündchen dubbed "the death of my dreams" — she offered her own side of the story.

"Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart," the mother-of-two candidly said. "When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met, we wanted a family, we wanted things together."

Bündchen continued, "As time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make. That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person. It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live, you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right? It’s a dance. It’s a balance."

"When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, 'You have to live this life.' You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing," she added.

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

Bündchen and the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback — who confirmed in February that he was retiring "for good" — announced their decision to divorce in October 2022, months after rumors of their impending split made headlines.

The former flames married in 2009 and went on to welcome two children, 13-year-old son Benjamin and 10-year-old daughter Vivian. Brady is also dad to a 15-year-old son, Jack, whom he shares with actress Bridget Moynahan.