Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen announce divorce; 'Painful and difficult' end to 13-year marriage

Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his fashion model wife Gisele Bundchen announced Friday they have finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage.

"In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage," Brady wrote in an Instagram post. "We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together."

The seven-time Super Bowl champ and Bundchen have two children together, and Brady said they'll "continue to work together as parents."

Brady wrote that the divorce decision came "after much consideration."

"Doing so is, of course, painful and difficult, like it is for many people who go through the same thing every day around the world," he said. "However we wish only the best for each other as we pursue whatever new chapters in our lives that are yet to be written."

The superstar couple married in 2009 and lived in Brookline for years before Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always," Bundchen posted.

CNN previously reported that Brady and Bundchen had hired divorce attorneys and had been dealing with "marital issues," according to a source close to the couple.  

They will mutually petition for dissolution of marriage in Florida, according to the source.

The two, have been "living separately," a source close to Bündchen told CNN in September.

Brady, 45, had retired from the NFL in February, only to later reverse that decision. He took an 11-day leave of absence from training camp in August to "deal with personal things," according to his head coach Todd Bowles.

In an interview with Elle magazine published last month, Bündchen, 42, said she had "concerns" about her husband returning to the field after initially retiring last winter.

"This is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present," Bündchen told the publication. "I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too."

In a recent conversation on his podcast, Brady talked about some of the personal costs of playing in the NFL for two decades.

"I haven't had a Christmas in 23 years and I haven't had a Thanksgiving in 23 years, I haven't celebrated birthdays with people that I care about that are born from August to late January. And I'm not able to be at funerals and I'm not able to be at weddings," Brady said. "I think there comes a point in your life where you say: 'You know what? I've had my fill and it's enough and time to go on, to move into other parts of life.'"

CNN has reached out to representatives for Brady and Bündchen for comment.