Who Is Joaquim Valente? Meet Gisele Bündchen's Jiu-Jitsu Instructor

By Brian Jones

There have been conflicting reports about Gisele Bündchen's dating life following her divorce from her husband Tom Brady. She was recently spotted with jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente in Costa Rica with her two children. But Fox News recently reported that the two are not dating and he's just the children's physical instructor. This leads to the question of who exactly is Valente. 

Along with his brothers, Pedro and Gui, Valente learned jiu-jitsu from their father, and they now teach at the Valente Brothers facility in Florida. "The Valente brothers were born into the jūjutsu tradition. Pedro, Gui and Joaquim began learning jūjutsu from their father before they could walk," the official website states. "At the tender age of two, Pedro, Gui and Joaquim were already taking private lessons from Grandmaster Hélio Gracie. Growing up, the Valente brothers trained daily at the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro under Hélio, Royler, and Rolker Gracie.

Pedro launched the family's full-time academy in 1998 after teaching classes for five years. Valente was living in Brazil at the time where he worked with Grandmaster Hélio Gracie until moving to the United States to join Pedro and Gui in 2007. Valente began attending classes at Barry University at the time and got a bachelor's degree in criminology, according to his LinkedIn page (per Page Six). 

In 2021, Valente, his brothers and Bündchen were seen in an issue of Dust Magazine. Earlier this year, Bündchen shared a video of her training session at Valente Brothers. "I believe the more tools we have in our toolbox the better," Bündchen wrote. "I feel stronger, more confidence and empowered since I started practicing self-defense. I feel it's an important skill for all, but especially for us women. Thank you [Valente Brothers] for being awesome teachers and making training so much fun," she went on to write. "I am looking forward to keep improving. Let's go!"

It's not clear what the exact relationship is between Valente and Bündchen. But the 42-year-old model hopes for the best for Brady after being married to him for 13 years. "My priority has always been and will continue to be our children who I love with all my heart," she wrote in an Instagram story. "We will continue co-parenting to give them the love, care and attention they greatly deserve. The decision to end a marriage is never easy, but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always."

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