Gisele Bündchen Says Being a Stepmom to Tom Brady's Son Jack 'Awakened' Her Desire to Be a Mom

Gisele Bündchen was stepmom to Jack for two years before welcoming her and Tom Brady's oldest, son Benjamin

Gisele Bündchen had no idea what she was in for when she first began dating Tom Brady.

The supermodel mom, 42, appears on the cover of Vanity Fair's April 2023 issue, where she reflects on her relationship with the recently retired NFL quarterback for the first time publicly since their divorce. The pair finalized their divorce last October, shortly after announcing their decision to split after 13 years of marriage.

It was early into her relationship with the NFL star, 45, that Brady shared the news that his ex, Bridget Moynahan, was expecting. Embracing their son Jack, now 15, as her "bonus child," made the couple feel more confident in taking steps toward growing their own family.

"Jack came into our lives and I felt so blessed, and it kind of awakened in me this desire of being a mom," Bündchen told the outlet. "I've always dreamed of being a mom, but I think that happened a little faster than I thought, because now I have this beautiful little angel that I get to care for and love."

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Related:Gisele Bündchen Talks Co-Parenting, Having 'Great Relationship' with Tom Brady's Ex Bridget Moynahan

Brady and Bündchen later welcomed daughter Vivian and son Benjamin — now 10 and 13 — at home during the family's time living in Boston while the football pro played for the New England Patriots.

"My world was them," Bündchen recalled of time. "Do you know how grateful I am that I got that time for myself? I breastfed my kids until they were almost two years old. I was taking them to school every day. I was making them breakfast, lunch… I was there."

Reflecting on the dissolution of her relationship with Brady, Bündchen suggested that family was a big factor that brought the two together.

"Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart. When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met, we wanted a family, we wanted things together," she shared.

"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," she mused.

"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."

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