Why Did Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen Divorce? Here's What They've Recently Said About Their Relationship

After 13 years of marriage, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen announced they're divorcing.

Though rumors of a split were circulating for a while, PEOPLE confirmed the pair finalized their divorce on Friday, Oct. 28. Both posted on Instagram to express gratitude for their time spent together, and opened up about the difficulties of coming to this decision.

"In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage," Brady, 45, wrote in part. "We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together."

The 42-year-old Brazilian model shared, "With much gratitude for our time together, Tom and I have amicably finalized our divorce. My priority has always been and will continue to be our children whom I love with all my heart. We will continue co-parenting to give them the love, care and attention they greatly deserve."

For more on Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's divorce, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

But after nearly two decades together — the pair started dating in 2006 and have son Benjamin, 12, and daughter Vivian, 9 — why are Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen getting divorced now? Here's everything they've said about their more recent marriage struggles.

RELATED: Gisele Bündchen Explains Reasons for Tom Brady Divorce: 'We Have Grown Apart'

Gisele Bundchen Instagram Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady

Tom on taking an 11-day break from the Buccaneers

Earlier this year, Brady announced he would be retiring from the NFL after 22 years in the league. However, the retirement was short-lived and he was back to playing 40 days later.

In August, however, both parties announced the star quarterback would be taking a leave of absence to deal with "personal issues."

Upon his return, Brady had this to say: "Everyone has different situations they're dealing with, and we all have unique challenges to our lives. I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s--- going on, so you just have to try and figure out life the best you can. You know, it's a continuous process."

Tom on struggling to prioritize family

Brady has made a career being one of the most dominant players in NFL history, and that took a lot of work. However, on a September 2022 episode of his Sirius XM podcast Let's Go!, he revealed that while he loved being a sportsman, things shifted a bit once he had kids.

"When I was 25, all I did was think about football. That was my life. It was eat, sleep, drink football. It was my profession, it was my career," the quarterback said. "And then over time, other priorities develop because you change and evolve through life and you grow in different ways. So you take on these different responsibilities, of family and commitment and so forth. And you commit time and energy to those things."

"You can't stop your life even though sports is happening," he added. "Even though I'm playing in my 23rd year, I have a freshman in high school that is playing football, too. I have a 12-year-old that is going through his life. I have a 9-year-old that is going through her life. And I have parents."

In an interview with Howard Stern, Brady also admitted that his lack of attention to the family caused a stir in his marriage at one point.

"[Gisele] didn't feel like I was doing my part for the family," Brady said during an interview with Howard Stern on his SiriusXM show in April 2020. "She felt like I would play football all season and she would take care of the house, and then all of a sudden when the season ended, I'd be like, 'Great, let me get into all of my other business activities. Let me get into my football training,' and she's sitting there going, 'Well when are you going to do things for the house? When are you going to take the kids to school and do that?' "

Brady acknowledged that was a blind spot he needed to pay attention to, because "that was a big part of our marriage that I had to like check myself because she was like 'I have goals and dreams too.' "

Another insider said, though, that the seven-time Super Bowl winner was "totally devoted" to his children during the offseason, and spends time with his family in between games and traveling.

"No other husband gets six months off a year to be totally devoted to just their family," the source said. "And during the season, yes he travels for games and trains, but he's with his family a lot too."

Tom on being unable to find 'peace' without football

When speaking to his Let's Go! co-hosts Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray in September 2022, the seven-time Super Bowl champ also opened up about his undying love for the game and how "the only time" he can find peace is when he is on the football field.

"I hope that's not the only place I find it because that's a brutal way to go after a long period of time, to have that," he stated. "But there is a simplicity to life when you're in football season because there's a rhythm to it."

He noted that his family is also a big contributor to his peace, stating, "Football and family has always been the most important thing to me."

Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland Resort/Getty

Gisele on Tom still playing in the NFL

In October 2022, Bündchen opened up to ELLE about the risks that come with having her husband playing football and how that impacts their family unit.

"Obviously, I have my concerns — this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present," she said. "I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too."

RELATED: Tom Brady Calls Divorce From Gisele Bündchen 'Painful and Difficult'

"We have to think about what we're doing, how moments that were really shaping who they are as people," she continued. "I feel very fulfilled in that way, as a mother and as a wife."

"I've done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]," she stated. "I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams."

She continued, "Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed, and being fulfilled in his career — it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I've done a good job on that."

Gisele likes an Instagram post about consistency in relationships

Though she didn't actually say anything, the mother of two — also a bonus mom to Tom's son Jack, 15, from his previous relationship with Bridget Moynahan — responded to a telling quote posted to Jay Shetty's Instagram in October 2022.

Sources had confirmed that the stars were living apart and that "there [was] a lot of tension" within the relationship when she reacted to the post from the 8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go author.

"You can't be in a committed relationship with someone who is inconsistent with you. Read that again," Shetty's post read. Bündchen's response? A prayer hands emoji seemingly agreeing with the quote.