Scorned model Joan Smalls has reportedly issued an ultimatum to her close friends over Candice Swanepoel’s relationship with Tom Brady.
It emerged on Saturday night that NFL icon Brady has moved on from ex-wife Gisele Bundchen, whom he split from in October 2022, with Swanepoel, with the new couple believed to have been dating for ‘a while.’
However, the new romance has reportedly ruffled feathers in the fashion industry with the South African beauty not the only Victoria’s Secret model that the former quarterback has been seeing over the past year.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner has reportedly driven a wedge between ‘inseparable’ friends Smalls and Swanepoel, according to Page Six.
Smalls was said to have been seeing the former signal caller on and off for a while but Swanepoel actively encouraged her pal to end things with Brady.
Yet, in a shocking change of heart, Swanepoel reportedly didn’t have the same attitude when it came to her own chance to date the Fox NFL analyst.
Tom Brady has reportedly been dating supermodel Candice Swanepoel for a while
Swanepoel’s fellow model and friend Joan Smalls is said to be incensed over the romance
The stunning U-turn is said to have left Smalls incensed with the Puerto Rican model reportedly telling her and Swanepoel’s mutual friends to pick sides.
Smalls and Swanepoel have been close for 15 years, sharing numerous catwalks throughout their decorated modeling careers. However, sharing a man appears to be one step too far for Smalls.
The latest report of the rift between Smalls and Swanepoel comes after DeuxMoi first sparked speculation that the pals were feuding.
Last week, eagle-eyed friends first spotted that the longtime friends were no longer following one another on Instagram.
‘You’re not friends anymore with Candice?’ one fan asked in the comments section of Smalls’ page.
According to gossip site Deuxmoi, Smalls responded in a since-deleted comment, ‘I’m not friends with backstabbers.’
In another deleted comment, Smalls also appeared to suggest that Swanepoel had broken ‘girl code.’
‘And the disrespect and carelessness in how they treat you is so unimaginable,’ she allegedly continued, according to a screenshot published by Just Jared.
Smalls was also said to have been seeing the seven-time Super Bowl winner on and off
The two Victoria’s Secret models have been close friends for over a decade
‘There’s no going back. Some people lack humility and moral compass. And the way they gaslight, lie and minimize your feelings is the worst slap in the face after 15 years of friendship. Not a sorry said or written. Onwards and upwards!’
The Daily Mail contacted representatives for both Smalls and Swanepoel at the time but did not receive a response.
Both women walked in the 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, although there were no photos of them interacting together from the event.
They have previously modeled together, including teaming up to front a joint campaign for Anne Klein just last year.
However, while Smalls seemingly sees the relationship as a betrayal, Brady’s ex-wife, Bundchen, another former Victoria’s Secret angel, reportedly has no issues with her former husband’s new flame.
Bundchen, 46, reportedly does not view Swanepoel as breaking girl code as she sees no issue with her ex-husband’s new flame.
Bundchen does not view the relationship as a ‘betrayal,’ insiders familiar with the situation reportedly told TMZ.
While the two models have been supportive and friendly with one another throughout their careers, their professional relationship never developed into a close friendship, the sources added.
Gisele Bundchen, another Victoria’s Secret model, was married to Brady for 13 years
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They also reportedly have not been seen together in recent year, making suggestions of a feud over Brady a bit farfetched.
The models never walked Victoria’s Secret’s iconic runway shows at the same time as Bundchen retired from her contract in 2006 – one year before Swanepoel would make her debut.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion was married to Bundchen from 2009 until their divorce in 2022. A new book recently revealed the devastating untold story behind the end of their relationship.
The pair are parents to children Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13. Brady is also father to son Jack, 19, whom he welcomed with ex Bridget Moynahan.
Swanepoel had been in a long-term relationship with Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli after they first met in 2005.
She had been 17 at the time of meeting Nicoli, who was 23, as they both were pursuing their careers in the modelling industry.
After nearly a decade of dating, the former couple became engaged in 2015. But three years later, it was confirmed that the two had gone their separate ways.
