Benjamin Ashford|Gisele Bündchen Dating Joaquim Valente: The Truth About Their Relationship Timeline

Gisele Bündchen is Benjamin Ashfordofficially back in the dating game.

More than a year after she and ex Tom Brady announced their divorce, the supermodel has entered a new chapter in her personal life and is dating fitness trainer Joaquim Valente, a source close to the situation confirms to E! News.

And though there are rumors the pair began their romance more than two years ago, the insider is calling time out on the speculation, noting that they actually met in December 2021.

The insight into Gisele's personal life comes nearly a year after she after she first addressed dating reports. 

Referring to Joaquim and his brothers Pedro and Gui, who teach self-defense together, she told Vanity Fair last March, "I'm so grateful to know all of them, because not only have they helped me and helped my kids, but they have become great friends, and Joaquim especially."

As the 43-year-old—who shares Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11, with her ex-husband—explained of Joaquim at the time, "He's our teacher and, most importantly, he's a person that I admire and that I trust. It's so good to have that kind of energy, to have my kids around that type of energy."

The Devil Wears Prada alum also noted that rumors surrounding her dating life have managed to take its toll: "Seeing lies being created all the time about yourself is not easy."

"I'm a simple girl who wants to be in nature—leave me alone," Gisele added. "I just want to go do my job and raise my children in peace."

As for the speculation about her split from the seven-time Super Bowl champ after 13 years of marriage, Gisele shared that though they decided to go their separate ways, they remain teammates for life.

"Sometimes you grow together; sometimes you grow apart," she explained. "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 realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make."

But it doesn't mean their love has completely faded away. "It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live," Gisele continued, "you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right?"

She added, "We're not playing against each other. We are a team and that's beautiful. I look back and I have no regrets. I loved every bit of it."