She used to be a Victoria's Secret Angel, but it's been a while since Gisele Bündchen has been on a runway. But the 40-year-old might not be done with her modeling days just yet.
For any fan who wonders who Gisele Bündchen was before Tom Brady, the answer is a long one. She's been in the modeling industry since the '90s, and her rise to fame was meteoric.
The truth is, Gisele went from being an unknown teen model to rocking with brands like Dior and Marc Jacobs within her first few years in the industry. She clearly had the right stuff, and that earned her plenty of attention. But after more than two decades as a model, is Gisele stepping out of the spotlight?
The fact that Tom Brady's career is still on an uptick (he's 43 and still on the field!) means that Gisele won't truly stop making headlines anytime soon. She has, however, made powerful decisions about her career, even before meeting and marrying Tom.
Part of her rise to fame involved becoming a Victoria's Secret Angel, in addition to walking the runway for top fashion brands like Dior and Valentino. As far as the VS modeling, Gisele stuck with it for an impressive seven years before moving on. People reported in 2007 that Gisele, who was 26 at the time, decided not to extend her contract.
The multi-millions weren't enough to convince her to stay, suggested People, highlighting that some publications speculated that the $5 million she was earning per year wasn't rising in accordance with her notoriety.
But People also quoted Gisele as saying something plenty of other career-minded folks can relate to, even if they aren't getting $5 mil contracts. Though the VS team had become like family, Bündchen elaborated, "I would like to have different chapters in my life. I mean let’s be honest – I do this because it’s my job."
Later, in her memoir (which came out in 2018), Gisele admitted that she was becoming "less comfortable" walking runway shows in barely-there clothing, noted Insider. She felt a need to be covered up, and so ultimately, the decision was an easy one.
Besides, let's be honest, Gisele was the highest-paid model for 15 years. Losing that spot, as Bündchen did in 2017 (to Kendall Jenner) noted Money, probably meant no one brand could afford her. At the same time, she quit doing runway work around 2015.
So, technically, Gisele no longer models. But she still has plenty of endorsement deals with big brands, including big names like Under Armour and Grendene. And she's still on magazine covers occasionally.
Although, she doesn't seem keen these days on holding any photoshoots that don't involve her kids, doing crazy yoga positions, or being out in nature with her family, leading fans to believe modeling is behind her.