Who is Joaquim Valente, Gisele Bundchen's Jiu-Jitsu Instructor?
By Amy Kaplan
Who is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor that is rumored to be dating Tom Brady's ex-wife, Gisele Bundchen?
For a while, the biggest news in NFL was the divorce between GOAT NFL star Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen.
Now that news has transitioned into Brady's retirement and Bundchen's maybe-boyfriend, Joaquim Valente.
The rumors of a romantic relationship between Valente and Bundchen began around November 2022, when she was photographed with him in Costa Rica a few weeks after the divorce news went public. But they have been photographed as early as February of that year due to Bundchen sharing videos of her training with the coach.
At the time People reported that a source told them they were not dating.
"He and his two brothers are Gisele and the kids' martial arts teachers," the source told the outlet. "They are not dating."
But they pair continued to be spotted together on multiple occassions outside of the gym.
In a March 2023 interview with Vanity Fair she addressed the rumors, again confirming they are not dating.
"I think, at this point, unfortunately, because I'm divorced, I'm sure that they're going to try to attach me to anything," she told the outlet. "He'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."
So who is Joaquim Valente?
Valente is a Miami-based BJJ instructor alongside his brothers Pedro and Gui. The family moved from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1993.
His lineage includes Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, who he is said to have learned from since the age of two. In 2007 he received his black belt and Professors' Diploma from Gracie which has only been awarded to 27 people worldwide.
Despite being well-known for BJJ he also practiced boxing and judo.