Tom Brady has a new romance, and it's been going on far longer than most people realized. The retired NFL quarterback, 49, is dating Victoria's Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel, 38, with the two reportedly spending months together around Miami while working hard to stay out of the spotlight.
PEOPLE confirmed the relationship on October 25, reporting that Brady and Swanepoel are officially an item. Neither Brady nor Swanepoel has publicly addressed the romance, and representatives for both did not respond to the outlet's request for comment. An insider told the magazine the arrangement is simple given their shared home base: “They both live in Miami, so it's very convenient. They're spending a lot of time together.”
Exactly when things started depends on who you ask. TMZ reported the pair have been quietly dating since June, while Fox News reported Swanepoel reportedly started seeing Brady back in May. InStyle, for its part, simply said the two had been dating for months and had gone to great lengths not to be spotted together. PEOPLE's account lands somewhere in the middle, describing the pair as having started dating earlier in the summer after meeting through mutual friends in Miami.
A Bond Built on Parenting and Fitness
According to the same PEOPLE report, the connection between Brady and Swanepoel has a lot to do with the lives they're both juggling outside the spotlight. A source told the outlet that Swanepoel is enjoying her time with Brady and has taken note of his effort: “She's enjoying spending time with him. He's very attentive and makes an effort to make things special. She's been impressed by that.” The same source added that the two are bonding over fitness and healthy living, noting, “They're also both very into fitness and taking care of themselves,” and that both “are very focused on their kids.”
Brady shares three children from previous relationships: son Benjamin, 16, and daughter Vivian, 13, with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, and son Jack, 19, with ex Bridget Moynahan, per the same account. Swanepoel, meanwhile, shares sons Anacan, 10, and Ariel, 7, with her ex, model Hermann Nicoli. Brady was previously married to Bündchen from 2009 to 2022.
Staying Low-Key Near Indian Creek
Keeping things quiet appears to be a priority for both parties. A TMZ insider said the couple are sticking to low-profile joints near Indian Creek rather than Miami's more visible nightlife scene, and that the relationship is deliberately moving at an unhurried pace: “Tom and Candice are taking things slow so Tom can keep dedicating most of his time to being a dad.” E! similarly reported that neither the Fox Sports commentator nor the Victoria's Secret Angel have addressed their romance publicly.
The choice of neighborhood is notable. Indian Creek Village, where Brady owns a mansion, is a tiny, heavily guarded enclave sometimes nicknamed the “billionaire bunker,” accessible only via a guarded bridge and patrolled around the clock by land, sea and air, according to Indian Creek Village's public safety department, whose stated mission includes protecting residents' privacy. Jeff Bezos and Ivanka Trump are among the village's residents. Brady was photographed there in August aboard his yacht near his mansion, a sighting first reported by the Miami Herald.
Exes, Tabloid Chatter and an Alleged Model Feud
Brady's ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, has largely stayed out of the conversation. TMZ reported that Bündchen, who is remarried and has a young son, does not see Swanepoel's relationship with Brady as a betrayal, despite the two models having been former colleagues. Fox News separately reported on an alleged dispute connected to Brady involving Swanepoel and fellow model Joan Smalls, though it noted the two still walked in the 2026 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show together despite the reported tension.
For now, the Brady-Swanepoel relationship remains defined by what hasn't been said rather than what has. No statement, no red-carpet debut, no social media confirmation — just a string of insider accounts from PEOPLE, TMZ, InStyle, E! and Fox News painting a picture of two parents trying to build something new without an audience.
