Gisele Bundchen ‘didn’t feel very comfortable’ while dating Leo DiCaprio

I’m not sure why, but Gisele Bundchen has given a lengthy, exclusive interview to People Magazine for this week’s issue. I thought she was done promoting her $700 coffee table book last year, but as it turns out, she’s got another coffee table book coming out next month. Ah, a perfect Mother’s Day gift! (My mother would kill me if I bought her a Gisele book.) Anyway, as for this interview, Gisele doesn’t say anything scandalous, really. She talks a lot about the criticisms she got when she was first starting out as a model, and she comes across as very type-A and organized when it comes to motherhood. Some highlights:

She was told she would never become a major model in 1995: “I remember some people telling me my nose was too big or my eyes were too small, that I could never be on a magazine cover. It wasn’t easy to be 14 and hear that kind of criticism. It made me feel insecure. I told my dad, and he said, ‘Next time, tell them, I have a big nose and that comes with a big personality.’ At that point I felt, if I kept working hard and giving my best, it would all work out.”

Her years in the modeling industry: “It’s still hard to believe that it’s been that long. Time does fly. I already felt weird because I was taller and looked more mature then most girls my age. I just knew that I wanted to do my best and see if I could make it.”

Her rise in the late 1990s: “I felt like I was in the right place at the right time. I didn’t really know anything about fashion. I saw jobs as opportunities to travel the world and make some money so I could also help my family back home.”

Dating Leo DiCaprio: “It brought a lot more attention to me, which is something I didn’t feel very comfortable with. To this day I still haven’t gotten very used to it.”

On motherhood: “I had to make some adjustments from what my life was like before I was a mom. My kids are so fun and loving, but they are also demanding! I had to accept that things were not going to happen as fast or exactly the way I expected. My kids mean the world to me – but they’re demanding! For me, making schedules are critical to make sure we attend to all the needs of the kids and our family. After adding everyone’s schedule on the calendar, I make sure that everyday I have some sacred time for myself, so I can recharge.”

She believes in meditation: “I noticed every time I felt overwhelmed I would hold my breath. I had to learn to stop, relax and take long deep breaths and within seconds I would feel more clear and ready to deal with the situation in a more loving way. Meditation also has been a wonderful tool. I notice that when I don’t take the time to do it, I am not as centered, patient or clear.”

[From People Magazine]

Yes, she called her children “demanding” twice, which made me laugh. I believe that Gisele and Tom are hands-on parents, but even Gisele seems a little surprised by just how much work it is to have two/three kids. As for being uncomfortable with the fame/attention she got when she was with Leo…I remember that era. I wouldn’t say that Gisele was thirsty during that time, but she was definitely feeling herself. She’s always come across as very confident, but during The Leo Years, she was everywhere and she was enjoying it, at least that’s the way it seemed. As for the criticisms about her face and whether she “looked like a model”… I like that she doesn’t look like every other model, but I’ve been discouraged by how much work she’s had over the years.

Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet, WENN.

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48 Responses to “Gisele Bundchen ‘didn’t feel very comfortable’ while dating Leo DiCaprio”

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  1. Tara says:

    One supermodel I’ll never get the fuss over.

    • doofus says:

      she def has the bod for the runway, tall and lean. but, her face?…eh…she’s not a stunner but not ugly. she’s like the woman from the two-face episode of Seinfeld. sometimes I think she’s quite pretty, and other times not so much.

      strangely, I feel the same way about her husband…sometimes I think he’s really good looking and other times it’s “LURCH!”

      • perplexed says:

        I didn’t think her face was that pretty when I was younger, but compared to the newer models I do think she’s more distinct looking at least. I can actually remember what she looks like.

  2. Jegede says:

    BS.

    C’mon Gis you were very comfortable when you hooked up with Leo D

    That’s why you tolerated his cheating and went back to him again and again.

    • Naya says:

      Its not really cheating when theres a roaming dick clause in the contract.

      • Jegede says:

        LOL. You got me.

        But hey, you could refuse to sign on and walk away.
        Gisele did not. She was hooked on him big time.

        She tolerated his BS and was actually hoping to marry him.

      • believe says:

        I don’t know why you don’t like her, but I think that interview is about people like you. Comments like this and tabloids… It’s very negative. I bet she didn’t feel very comfortable.

  3. artpunk44 says:

    Uncomfortable?

    The look on her face tells otherwise. . .

  4. Bridget says:

    Kids ARE demanding. It’s because they can’t care for themselves and don’t have the ability to discern their whims from their needs.

    • aims says:

      RIGHT! ! Kids are demanding.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      I like that she is right up front about that instead of the whole: “my kids are the smartest, most beautiful, most perfect brings who have taught me how to be a woman” schtick that so many others try to sell in magazine interviews

      • Who ARE these people? says:

        Me too. Kids can be a real pain in the arse, and it’s good to know that even with the help she could afford, she notices it and is willing to say it. She might have felt the demands a bit more keenly if she had a lot of control over her schedule previously, and copes by scheduling some more now. So many of us do that!

      • Moneypenny says:

        Me too. I LOVE that she said this. My daughter is amazing, but she is a lot of work and strong willed. I like when people paint the full picture of parenthood.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        Me too. It’s honest and something sometimes no one seems to want to acknowledge..

      • Bridget says:

        Speaking of parenthood being hard… I haven’t even been able to watch Game Of Thrones yet because everyone in my home, including both kids, came down with strep. Ugh.

  5. minx says:

    I actually like her a bit more after reading this.
    Didn’t think that was possible.

  6. LannisterForever says:

    I remember loving them as a couple. They attended the first Oscar ceremony I ever watched and I declared her best-dressed and most beautiful and said I wanted to marry a guy who looked like him. to my mom. I must have been 11 but I still think they look(ed) great together!

    • Loopy says:

      But out off Leo’s catalogue, it really seems like Gisele was the only one that publicly was the closest to a girlfriend, I mean he to her to the OSCARS and did not seem to be too uncomfortable with her in public like basketball games,beach etc. He literally looks like he is shooing some of them away not to get to close to him in public.

  7. Gg says:

    Why is she dredging this back up?!? Now that she’s not “modeling” she’s got to stir shit up in order to sell something and I’m sure there’s something she’s shilling.

    • V4Real says:

      She is probably trying to deflect from the newly inflated deflate gate surrounding her husband..

      • Sumodo1 says:

        Correct-a-mundo!

      • at says:

        1. She IS modeling. Who said she’s not modeling?
        2. Her husband has nothing to do with HER career, V4Real! She is doing her job. I bet she gave this interview some weeks ago.

  8. Gg says:

    And haha Giselle, “on a scale of 0 to comfortable, how did you feel when you saw the Afflecks “nanny” wearing all your husbands Super Bowl rings?”

  9. Brit says:

    She was on top of her career when they dated. And she seemed very thirsty. I think it’s cause she’s very controlling and Leo and her butt heads over that. Whereas she controls tom very easily

  10. Erinn says:

    She REALLY called them demanding twice in like two sentences? REALLY girl?

    I feel like she’s confusing ‘children who are dependent on their parents’ for demanding. I’m not sure what she expected from kids?

    Just the way she phrases things is so infuriating, sometimes. “Sacred time for myself”. Really? Sacred? Couldn’t you just act like a normal human and be like “I really do need some time to wind down by myself” or something like that. Everything about her just comes off as tiring.

    And if being with Leo made you uncomfortable … why move on to a super famous football player?

    • Jegede says:

      “And if being with Leo made you uncomfortable … why move on to a super famous football player?”

      Yep so uncomfortable she went from a superstar actor to a superstar athlete.

      Would Gisele’s MET Gala appearances be so covered & preened over if she showed up with an anonymous “dentist from New Jersey”*
      (*thank you Jackie O for that quote)

      • perplexed says:

        I think she genuinely loves Tom Brady though. She stayed with him even after he got that other lady pregnant, so I feel there must be genuine affection there. I would have probably felt that situation wasn’t worth dealing with.

        I actually thought she was sort of giving credit to Leo for bringing attention to her rather than acting like she got that attention on all her own.

      • believe says:

        “Would Gisele’s MET Gala appearances be so covered & preened over if she showed up with an anonymous…”
        Of course! She is the most famous model in the world! She is more famous than her husband.

    • Loopy says:

      To be fair English is not her first language so it might be just confusing her words.

      • Who ARE these people? says:

        I think it’s this, a subtle language thing. And yes, mostly it’s about kids being dependent, but sometimes they’re demanding, too, especially at certain ages.

      • perplexed says:

        Yeah, I think it’s a language difference.

        I don’t necessarily think “demanding” is a terrible word to use here. I was probably demanding to my mother when I was a kid.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        That is my read too. Some of the commenters here have to clarify sometimes because English is not their first language.

  11. Gg says:

    And did your dad also tell you, next time someone says that get a nose job and an eye lift? LOL celebrities are so funny!

  12. Brit says:

    Yea I think Gisele or maybe bar was Leo’s last real girlfriend. He did an interview a long time ago and the interviewer said Gisele was at his house and they were getting ready to go to a friends house. Leo was cooking and Gisele kept telling him they’re late. I thought it was cute because we don’t really get to see domesticated Leo ever

    • Sea Dragon says:

      Omg. I remember reading that! I think he was annoyed that she was always running late.
      It’s one of the few things I know about Gisele.

  13. tw says:

    1 nose job and a celebrity marriage later and we’re supposed to believe any of this?

    • BGirl81 says:

      I burst out laughing about the nose thing, because…giiiiiiiirl, we all know you had a li’l rhino-job done! Not shading her for that, I had one too, but don’t harp on it, ya know?!

  14. Adrien says:

    A beautiful and successful person’s interview wouldn’t be complete without a backstory how she was bullied by her peers as a child and teased about her looks.

  15. stinky says:

    the camera loves her.

  16. perplexed says:

    I can believe that someone told her that her nose was too big — but I don’t get why her nose why was considered big.

  17. iheartgossip says:

    Oh Please. Leo knocked her fame into the statusphere. She needs to take several seats.

    • perplexed says:

      Imo, I thought she was acknowledging that (at least in an implicit way) when she says “It brought a lot more attention to me…” She’s admitting that dating him, rather than her modelling, got her attention.

  18. Green says:

    Good model but I always get sociopath vibes from her.

  19. Mew says:

    She didn’t accept her nose but had surgery early age to change it smaller. And her boobs got magically bigger. So how about that big personality then…

  20. ModelsRThem says:

    Yeah, she was told her nose was too big… so her agency paid for her nose job and she became one of the highest-paid women in the industry. Are we supposed to feel sorry for her? Yes, she’s beautiful and apparently really a hard worker – but a whole lot of models get turned down because they have a feature that is less than perfect and they just never get anywhere in the industry.

    • believe says:

      I think it’s the SAME nose. Her agency didn’t pay for it. I read an interview with her ex-agent.