Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen's marriage: What went wrong? Psychotherapist weighs in

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Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines September 29

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Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen seem to have hit a rough patch and have been battling rocky relationship rumors since early September.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and the Brazilian model, who have been married since 2009, began having issues after Brady decided to come out of his extremely short retirement from football, according to multiple reports.

Brady originally announced that he was retiring from the NFL after 22 seasons on Feb. 1. However, just 40 days later, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback announced he actually was not retiring.

Psychotherapist Robi Ludwig explained to Fox News Digital that Brady likely can't "focus" on his family while playing professional football.

Tom Brady likely can't "focus" on his family while playing professional football, psychotherapist Robi Ludwig told Fox News Digital. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

TOM BRADY, GISELE BÜNDCHEN NEED ‘OPEN COMMUNICATION’ OR ‘RESENTMENT MAY KICK IN,' RELATIONSHIP EXPERT SAYS

"My sense is Gisele wants Tom to focus on her and the family in a way that he can’t while working as a professional football player," Ludwig said. "When Tom is playing football, he’s all in. The focus has to be primarily on himself, which is a problem. Does Gisele think Tom is self-centered and selfish? I suppose we’ll find out.

"I would imagine Gisele wants her feelings, wishes and goals to matter, in addition to her husband's. All relationships have conflicts. It’s how these conflicts are handled that determine the quality of the relationship."

Bündchen expressed her concern about Brady returning to football in a recent interview with Elle magazine.

"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 told the outlet.

"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."

Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bündchen celebrate after he won the Super Bowl in 2021. (Kevin C. Cox)

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Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen (seen in 2019) are facing rumors of marital issues following 13 years of marriage. (Steve Granitz)

A source previously told People magazine that the pair "would like to work things out" and there isn't "any formal separation at this point."

This isn't the first time Bündchen and Brady's relationship has run intro trouble. When the two first got together in 2006, Brady, then a member of the New England Patriots, had just ended his relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.

Just months later, Moynahan announced she was pregnant with Brady's child.

In 2008, Bündchen revealed that she had doubts about her relationship with Brady.

"It was a challenging thing because here I am, you know, thinking, ‘I’m dating this guy, we met, and we started dating and everything is great and then this happens,’" she said during a 2008 interview with "CBS This Morning."

"So, then I felt like I didn’t know what to do. It was kind of one of those moments of like, ‘Do I just run away?’"

Ludwig noted that "carefully evaluating" the relationship is "important."

"It is not uncommon to have ambivalent feelings when deciding whether or not to invest in a long-term relationship," Ludwig told Fox News Digital. "It’s not something people like to talk about because it conflicts with our cultural notion of true love and what true love looks like. Carefully evaluating who your partner is is an important piece of the commitment process."

"I think most women would think twice about diving into a relationship when your partner has an ex who is pregnant," she added. "Let’s be honest, it’s walking into an unpredictable and potentially toxic situation. The bottom line is: Gisele didn’t run away. Instead, she learned more about the situation, which helped her to stay with Tom."

Bündchen revealed how she felt about Moynahan's pregnancy in her 2018 memoir.

Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady (pictured in 2008) have been together for more than 15 years. They have two children, Benjamin and Vivian, and co-parent his son, John "Jack," with his ex, Bridget Moynahan. (Jamie McCarthy)

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Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen met shortly after his breakup with Bridget Moynahan and got married in 2009. (Chance Yeh)

"The very next day, the news was everywhere, and I felt my world had been turned upside down. Needless to say, that wasn’t an easy time. But it was a time that brought about so much growth," the model wrote.

The psychotherapist noted that it would "almost be impossible" for the start of their relationship to be easy, due to the circumstances surrounding Brady at the time.

"The circumstances were clearly a contributing factor to Tom and Gisele’s rocky start. It would almost be impossible for it not to be rocky given what his circumstances were," said Ludwig.

Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.