TOM BRADY’S supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen admits she plays second fiddle to his love for American football.
Brazilian-born Bundchen, 37, is one of the most famous models in the world — and did a solo catwalk the length of the stadium during the Rio Olympics opening ceremony in 2016.
She has been married to Brady since 2009 and the pair have two children together. Brady also has a son from a previous relationship.
But Gisele conceded that NFL “really is his main love — frankly it’s true.”
New England Patriots star Brady will grace the Super Bowl stage for a remarkable EIGHTH time tonight as he faces Philadelphia Eagles, hunting a sixth championship to further cement his status as the best ever.
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The 40-year-old remains at the peak of his powers after keeping himself in shape with a strict lifestyle and diet that includes avocado ice cream and adding electrolytes to his 25 glasses of water a day.
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Brady said: “If it was up to my wife, she would have me retire today.
“I said, ‘Too bad, babe, I’m having too much fun right now’. You know, I feel I can still do it.
“If you love what you do and you’re capable of doing it then . . . I might be so bored, if I wasn’t going out there, knowing that I could still do it.
“So I’m going to work hard to be ready to go and I still plan on playing for a long time.”
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Reports in January suggested there was friction between Brady, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and chairman Robert Kraft and their future partnership was in doubt.
Central to the apparent tension was Brady’s trainer Alex Guerrero, who has developed the star’s ‘TB12 Method’ — a diet, exercise and lifestyle plan the quarterback swears by.
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The pair have worked together 14 years and their relationship blossomed after Guerrero aided Brady’s speedy recovery from the cruciate ligament injury that forced him to miss the 2008 season.
But in December Guerrero was stripped of his sideline access by Belichick, forbidden from boarding the Patriots team plane and is no longer allowed to treat any player other than Brady at Gillette Stadium.
He had his own office at the Patriots building and previously had free rein to treat any player.
Guerrero still works out of the TB12 sports therapy clinic next door to the Patriots’ stadium and is on Brady’s payroll.
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New England were forced to release a statement denying any conflict between the key players in their organisation when cracks were appearing.
Brady commented: “Alex has been a huge part of what I do and I’m so fortunate to have him, not only as a friend, but with everything that we’ve been able to do together.
“Alex has been a huge, huge reason why I’m still playing”.
Guerrero reportedly this week said he and Belichick “high fived” when rumours of a conflict between the pair emerged.
Brady has fielded questions about retirement for five years but continues to sit atop the quarterback mountain.
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This year he threw 32 touchdown passes and led the league with 4,577 passing yards to force his way into contention for the coveted Most Valuable Player award.
Eyebrows were raised when New England traded back-up Jimmy Garoppolo, thought to be Brady’s long-term replacement, to the San Francisco 49ers this season.
The Patriots were seemingly left without a plan beyond Brady, who said: “Well, I never want to be a detriment to the team.
“As long as I’m playing at a high level and I make the commitment to take care of myself year-round, I’ll continue to play.
“Things change quickly. Anything can happen, but obviously I want to keep playing. I love playing. I just love playing for the Patriots.”
Brady recently released a book chronicling his highly restrictive plant-based diet and he and Guerrero have ambitious plans for 20,000 sports therapy clinics around the world — like the one in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Guerrero does not have Brady lifting weights, instead focusing on the “pliability” of his muscles, how well they absorb pain and preventing injuries.
Brady uses resistance bands, foam rollers and massage balls to focus on his core strength and keep his muscles soft, able to withstand hits from 300lb defensive linemen.
In a recent interview, Guerrero said: “TB12 Method is about allowing people to sustain their peak performance however they define it so they can fulfil their daily acts pain free.
“It’s a very customised program for each person because everybody’s body type is different. It’s unique to each individual.
“The concept of ‘pliability’ is a new word for most people. They talk about flexibility, but that has more to do with ligament laxity than muscle contracting and relaxing.
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“Even if you don’t have any pain and you’re in your 20s and 30s and yet you exhibit bad mechanical behaviours, over time you’re going to have pain.
“The method is going toward young people understanding that prevention is as important as recovery.”
Guerrero mastered in Chinese medicine and many of his methods have been described as non-traditional.
But Brady is no ordinary or regular man and will go down as the greatest to ever play the game.
The way he’s feeling and performing, do not expect this to be his final Super Bowl.
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