Gisele Bündchen has blasted "very hurtful" assumptions Tom Brady chose his career over his family.

Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady split after 13 years of marriage

Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady split after 13 years of marriage

The 42-year-old supermodel has addressed her divorce from the NFL legend, and admitted such a huge decision "takes years to happen" after speculation his retirement and return to sports in 2022 played a role in the end of their 13-year marriage.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, she described such assumptions as "the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.

She added: "Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever. If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me.

"I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart.”

The 'Devil Wears Prada' star also hit out at the perception of her as "somebody who is against football", noting how often she and their kids Benjamin, 13, and Vivan, 10, watched Tom play.

She said: “Are you kidding me? I learned about it! I used to joke that I was going to be able to be the ref because I’ve watched so many games. And I loved it.”

Rather than being attributed to just one factor, Gisele noted their breakup wasn't quite so clear cut.

She explained: "What's been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle. It's not so black and white."

She pointed out that instead, their relationship simply evolved over time.

She said: "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.

"As time goes by, we realise 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."