Bündchen retired from modeling altogether after walking at São Paulo Fashion Week in 2015. "Automatically, my body tells me if what I do is worth it, and it asked to stop. I respect my body. It's a privilege to be able to stop [runway work]," she told the Folha de São Paulo newspaper following her decision to walk away from modeling. She added, "I don't see how to continue (modeling on the catwalk) . . . and stopping will leave room for other projects I have for myself."
Bündchen, who frequented the top spot in several year-round rankings as the world's highest-paid fashion model, walked down the aisle with American football quarterback Tom Brady in 2009. The couple welcomed their son, Benjamin, in 2009, followed by a daughter, Vivian, in 2012, but announced their divorce in October 2022.
In 2018, the now-42-year-old Brazilian model and philanthropist released her memoir, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life," in which she opened up about how walking the VSFS runway really made her feel. "For the first five years, I felt comfortable modeling in lingerie, but as time went on, I felt less and less at ease being photographed walking the runway wearing just a bikini or a thong," she wrote, per The Independent. "Give me a tail, a cape, wings — please, anything to cover me up a little!"
In May 2022, Bündchen told British Vogue, "I always made sure that my back was covered because it just made me uncomfortable walking on a runway with my butt hanging out, from looking from down up." The experience wasn't all bad, however. "I always had fun on the shows. It was always like a production. There was always someone singing. There was always something happening. It was a fun experience."
