Gisele Bündchen Pays a Heartfelt Tribute to Her Late Mother
Gisele said that caring for her ailing parents has been hard. “It's been a lot — in every area of my life. I feel like whenever it rains, it pours."
Updated March 7 2024, 3:36 p.m. ET
It has been a tumultuous few years for Gisele Bündchen. The supermodel finalized her divorce from her husband of 13 years, former NFL star Tom Brady in 2022. Then, her beloved mother, Vânia Nonnenmacher, passed away on Jan. 28, 2024, at the age of 75.
What was her mother’s cause of death? Read on to find out and learn the touching things Gisele has said to honor her late mother.
Gisele Bündchen mother passed away from cancer.
Hospital Moinhos de Vento in Porto Alegre, Brazil reported on their website that Gisele’s mother died of cancer on January 28 after being admitted to the hospital on January 26.
It hasn’t been reported what kind of cancer Vânia had. Gisele previously told People that caring for her ailing parents had been "tough” for her whole family.
“It's been a lot — in every area of my life," she said. "I feel like whenever it rains, it pours."
Gisele added, "With all the different twists and turns that life takes, all we can do is the best we can given what happens in our surroundings.”
After Vânia's death, the former Victoria’s Secret model shared a beautiful tribute to her beloved mother on Instagram.
"Beloved mom, It hurts to know that I won’t be able to hug you anymore, but I know that you will always be watching over us. You were an angel on earth, always helping everyone around you," Gisele wrote in both Portuguese and English.
"I am so grateful to be your daughter and to have learned from you. Thank you for being the best role model of love, strength, compassion, courage, and grace."
Gisele continued, "I will forever cherish the beautiful memories we shared and will live by the values you taught me. You will live forever through the many lives that you touched. Thank you for giving me five best friends for life. Your love will always guide us. I will see you in my dreams. Love you."
In addition to Gisele, Vânia leaves behind five other children — Gisele’s twin sister Patricia and her other sisters Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela, and Raquel.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gisele shared that her mother was a retired bank teller. She was married to Gisele’s father, Valdir, who switched careers from real estate to sociology. Together, they formed a hard-working middle-class family that called the southern Brazilian town of Horizontina home.
As if grieving her mother isn’t enough, Gisele is also still reeling from her 2022 divorce from Tom Brady.
In a recent IMPACT x Nightline interview, things got emotional for Gisele and she broke down in tears while talking about the split.
"Well, when you say," Gisele said to Robin Roberts before turning her face away from the camera to wipe away her tears. "Sorry, guys. I didn't know. Can I have a little moment?"
Our thoughts and prayers are with Gisele and her family.
