Gisele Bündchen chose a photo from her and Tom Brady’s wedding in 2009 to celebrate her sister’s birthday amid the couple’s marital woes.
“Happy Birthday to a true angel on Earth!” the supermodel, 42, wrote to Graziela Bündchen on Instagram Stories on Sunday, translated from Portuguese.
“I love you sister so much!” Gisele went further, adding GIFs of hearts and birthday cakes to the social media upload.
In a sibling photo taken in Costa Rica, Graziela was wearing a blue bridesmaid dress as she tried to lift the bride.
Gisele, for her part, made a silly face in her John Galliano dress.
She and Brady, 45, were married in February 2009 in a small ceremony in Santa Monica, California, before tying two months later in front of more family members and friends.
The couple, who went on to welcome son Benjamin (12) and daughter Vivian (9), are currently in the midst of an “epic battle,” Vidak For Congress reported earlier this month.
“There have been problems in the marriage because of his decision not to retire,” explains a source of their marital problems. “Gisele has always been the one with the kids.
“They had agreed that he would retire to focus on the family, but then he changed his mind,” the insider continued.
Brady announced his retirement in February after winning his seventh Super Bowl, but reversed his decision 40 days later.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is now in the 23rd season of his NFL career.
While Gisele sent him support via Twitter prior to his opening game against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas on Sunday, she was reportedly absent.
Raising Benjamin and Vivian, as well as Brady’s son Jack, 15, from a previous relationship, was no “fairy tale” for the former Victoria’s Secret Angel, she admitted to British Vogue in May.
“It takes work to be really in sync with someone, especially after having kids,” she explained.
As for Brady, he admitted last week that he is struggling to balance fatherhood with his career.
“You can’t stop your life even if you play sports,” the athlete said on the September 5 episode of the “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray” podcast.
“Even though I’m playing in my 23rd year, I have a high school freshman who also plays soccer,” he added. “I have a 12-year-old going through his life. I have a 9 year old going through her life.”
Although the former New England Patriots player also mentioned his parents, he noticeably did not include Gisele in his list of relatives.