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Supermodel Gisele Bündchen, age 42, has been spotted with Brazilian jiu-jitsu teacher Joaquim Valente, two weeks after the finalization of her divorce from 45-year-old quarterback Tom Brady. Rumors have inevitably swirled, but the two are not dating.
Bündchen and Brady’s marriage lasted from 2009. They have two children together, son Benjamin (12) and daughter Vivian (9).
She and Valente had dinner together with Benjamin and Vivian, as well as several other adults and children, during a vacation in Costa Rica.
Here’s what we know about the Brazilian martial artist’s age, life so far and career to date.
Joaquim Valente was born into the jiujitsu tradition
The Valente family are fighters, born into the jiujitsu tradition. Joaquim and his two brothers, Pedro and Gui, learned the art from a young age – “before they could walk,” per the family website.
They were taking lessons from the “tender age of two,” from grandmaster Hélio Gracie. As youngsters, they trained daily.
Their father, Pedro Sr, was adamant they would learn jiujitsu as a “complete system,” not simply as a group of grappling techniques.
So while taking regular private classes from grandmaster Hélio, the Valente boys also practised “striking and throwing techniques” with experts in boxing and judo. Altogether, the Valente family has four black belts in jiu-jitsu.
How did Joaquim meet Gisele?
Having dinner together in Costa Rica has fuelled rumors that Joaquim Valente and Gisele Bündchen are dating, but Bündchen has denied these, according to Anne Of Carversville.
Nor is it the first time they’ve openly associated with each other.
It was actually because of her son that Gisele and Joaquim first met. She wanted to steer her almost teenage son in the “right direction,” and was seeking martial arts lessons. A friend recommended the Valente brothers. When she started talking with Joaquim, she became interested in the philosophy of jiu-jitsu.
“It felt very much in line with what I believe in and look for in my life,” she told Dust Magazine for its November issue – scroll down for an Instagram post showcasing the interview. “It sounded like something I definitely wanted to learn more about. And then I was hooked.”
Bündchen soon started taking jiu-jitsu lessons from Valente. She posted an edited compilation video of clips of them sparring to her Twitter account in February 2022. Bündchen added that she feels “stronger” and more confident since she started learning jiu-jitsu.
More power to her.
Tom Brady, meanwhile, reacted via Twitter by saying his “days of leaving dishes in the sink are numbered.”
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How old is Joaquim Valente? Age difference with Gisele Bündchen revealed
Born July 20, 1980, Gisele Bündchen is 42 years old as of November 2022, while Joaquim Valente’s age is 34.
That makes the age gap between them eight years, or thereabouts.
It’s worth stressing, however, that even though various outlets have described the pair as “alleged lovebirds” engaged in a “supposed new relationship,” Bündchen has denied dating rumors.
Anne Of Carversville writes that Bündchen has issued a statement stating unequivocally that she is not dating Valente, and that photos placing them together at a dinner were cropped to ignore the fact that there were six adults and eight children present.
The Daily Mail reports the same. Joaquim is “nothing more” – and nothing less – than a “closely family friend.”
How long has Valente been in the states?
Joaquim is the youngest of the Valente brothers. He moved to Miami, Florida in 2007 to study criminology at Barry University.
He received the professors’ diploma from his grandmaster in the same year. He graduated from Barry University in 2011.
Together with his brothers, he teaches jiu-jitsu in Miami Beach. The Valente Brothers’ company has affiliate locations in Pembroke Pines and Coral Gables, but Page Six writes that they are independent operations.
Corroborating Anne Of Carversville’s report that Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente, age 42 and 34 respectively, are not dating, Brazilian celebrity news website UOL writes that sources “close to Gisele do not believe it is a relationship” (translated by Google). The same website nevertheless fuels those exact rumors by headlining its report, “New love?”
