Tom Brady's Reported New Partner Candice Swanepoel: Inside Her Life Off the Runway — Photos

Tom Brady's reported new romance has put a spotlight on a supermodel whose life goes far beyond the runway. But away from the glamorous campaigns and fashion shows, there's a more personal side to the model that her photos help bring into focus.

Candice Swanepoel's life today looks a world away from where her story began. Long before she became one of the fashion industry's recognizable faces, the South African model grew up on a farm, surrounded by nature and animals rather than the bright lights of the fashion capitals.

In a Vogue behind-the-scenes diary, Candice recalled that she had dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer as a little girl. Her plans changed when she was around 15 and was discovered at a flea market while shopping with her mother.

From a South African Farm to the World's Biggest Runways

"I mean, I've been in the industry for 15 years," she said in the video, reflecting on how unexpectedly her career had unfolded. "It's definitely funny now when I think about how it used to be."

The model's rise eventually took her from South Africa to the international fashion circuit, where she worked with major designers and brands. Looking back, she also acknowledged that the industry had changed considerably since she started, particularly as social media made it easier for the public to follow models' lives.

"People couldn't go on Instagram and see what you're doing," she explained. "People had to talk about you." Candice also spoke about the opportunities her career had given her, including the chance to support her family and travel to extraordinary places.

But despite the glamorous destinations, she has never lost her affection for the simpler life she remembers from childhood. "I grew up on a farm," she said. "It was just very raw, very free."

She Has a Special Connection to Her South African Roots

Candice's upbringing has remained an important part of her identity, even as her work has taken her around the world. In an interview with ELLE, the model described growing up on a farm and explained that people sometimes struggled to reconcile her South African background with her appearance.

She even recalled being asked a question that reminded her of a famous scene from Mean Girls. "Sometimes I tell people I'm South African and they get really confused. You know that Mean Girls quote? It happens to me a lot in real life. 'So if you're from Africa, why are you white?!'"

The model joked about the familiar exchange, adding that people sometimes assumed she had lions in her backyard. Although she did not have lions in the garden, she grew up around animals and went on safari during family holidays.

Her childhood also taught her to appreciate the opportunities her parents worked hard to provide. Candice attended boarding school from the age of 13, describing the experience as distinctive and explaining that it helped prepare her for the communal living arrangements and constant travel that came with modeling.

She even remembered a beauty mishap from her school days, when she and her friends secretly applied old self-tanner in a school bathroom. The following morning, they arrived at chapel looking an unnatural shade of orange, much to their embarrassment.

It is a far cry from the polished beauty looks she wears for fashion campaigns today, but the story offers a glimpse of the playful teenager behind the supermodel image.

Her Childhood Fashion Dreams Came Full Circle

Candice's connection to fashion began long before she became a familiar face in advertising campaigns. She recalled in the ELLE interview that she remembered seeing advertisements for Juicy Couture as a teenager, even though the brand's clothes were not readily available to her in South Africa.

"When I first came to New York, I remember seeing the billboards for Juicy and thinking they were so fun and so vibrant," she said.

She remembered the campaigns featuring model Sasha Pivovarova and even asking her agent whether she could appear in the advertisements herself. Years later, Candice landed a campaign for the brand's Vive La Juicy Glacé fragrance, a fitting moment for someone who had once admired its advertising from afar.

Her career has also allowed her to explore the more demanding side of the fashion world, from early-morning preparations to long days backstage at international shows. In Vogue's diary, she walked viewers through a day at an Etro show in Milan, offering a glimpse of the work that happens before the cameras capture the finished look.

She described the excitement of putting together outfits, the discomfort of wearing heels throughout Fashion Week, and the constant changes that come with preparing for runway appearances. She also noted how the atmosphere shifts between fashion capitals as models and crews move from one city to another.

Yet even amid the hectic schedule, her thoughts often returned to home.

Motherhood Changed the Way She Sees the World

For Candice, becoming a mother brought a profound change in priorities. In her British Vogue interview, she explained that having a child heightened her sensitivity to the world around her, including stories about children in danger. "I can't watch movies, or even commercials, where kids are in any kind of danger now," she said.

The model also spoke about the joy of watching her son discover the world for the first time. Although her career remained important to her, she found that motherhood gave her a different perspective on work, family, and what mattered most.

"Becoming a mother makes the world feel so much better," she told the publication. "Nothing can get me down. I just look at him and see him seeing the world for the first time, and it's just such a pleasure to see it through his eyes."

Candice returned to modeling after giving birth, but she was not interested in allowing strangers' expectations about a woman's post-pregnancy body to dictate her life. She explained to ELLE that the pressure to regain one's figure often existed online rather than in everyday life, where the needs of a new baby naturally took precedence.

She also found fulfillment in returning to work, saying that she felt she had become an even better model after becoming a mother. It was a reminder that, for her, motherhood and professional ambition did not have to exist in opposition.

Her work with Gap's Mama Said campaign in 2017 brought those priorities together. The campaign, directed and co-starred in by actress Liv Tyler, celebrated motherhood and supported Every Mother Counts, an organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safer.

Candice appeared in the campaign with her firstborn son, participating in a project that connected her personal experience with a cause she cared about.

Meet Her Two Sons, Anacan and Ariel

Candice shares two sons with Brazilian model Hermann Nicoli, her former longtime partner. The couple welcomed their first child in October 2016 and their second in June 2018, giving the model a new role that she has often described as one of the most rewarding parts of her life.

Her first son, Anacan, was born on Oct. 5, 2016. In an interview with PEOPLE, Candice explained that his name was inspired by Brazil's Indigenous culture and had a special meaning for the family.

"It's an indigenous name from the Amazon," she told the publication. "I've always been amazed by the Indian culture of Brazil ... We were talking names [and] it was the first one that popped into our heads that we both liked."

Anacan spent his first five months in Brazil before moving to New York with his mother. Candice also explained that she would not want her children to enter modeling unless they felt confident about doing so, acknowledging that the profession could be challenging.

When his younger brother arrived in June 2018, Anacan became a big brother at a very young age. By September that year, Candice was already describing the bond between the boys with evident affection. "He's an amazing big brother," she told PEOPLE, explaining that he was "kissing [Ariel] all the time."

She added, "It's funny because he doesn’t know how to deal with the love," she said. "And you know when you think something is really cute and you just want to squeeze it? He doesn't know how to process that yet."

Ariel arrived on June 19, 2018, completing the family of four. Candice later admitted that raising two children under the age of two was an intense experience, even though she found the relationship between her sons beautiful to watch.

"To see the love between them is amazing," she said. "It's a lot, I'm not gonna lie. The second one is a lot easier, but the situation of having two makes it harder." She also joked about the difference between her two boys, describing Ariel as an easygoing baby. "My second one is an angel. 'He's like, Mommy, I know you don’t need more stress.'"

When Ariel was 10 months old, she called him "the happiest baby you will ever meet." She later referred to him as her "little lion boy," a nickname that seems particularly fitting for a child whose mother grew up surrounded by wildlife.

For his fourth birthday in 2022, Candice celebrated the little boy's personality in a heartfelt tribute, describing him as "so cool, so strong, so carefree, funny and loving." She added, "He makes me smile and laugh and learn every day."

The Family Photos That Show Her Softer Side

While Candice's modeling career has taken her to some of the world's most glamorous locations, her family photos offer a more intimate glimpse of her life away from the runway. In June 2018, she shared a photograph of her boys alongside a message that made it clear how much their relationship meant to her.

"These are the most precious gifts life has given me. I am a lucky woman to be their mommy, to help guide them through this thing called life........ Now they will always have each other 💙Anacan & Ariel💙 #brothers."

The message captured her excitement about watching her sons grow up together. It also showed that, even as their individual personalities developed, she hoped they would always have each other to rely on.

The following year, Candice shared another family memory from a trip to Ibiza. The image, posted in October 2019, came with a simple caption that conveyed her affection for the people closest to her. "#tbt to beautiful memories made in Ibiza 🍀💚 #mytribe."

The photo offered another glimpse of the model's life beyond professional shoots and public appearances. Rather than a carefully staged runway moment, it was a reminder of the memories she was making with her children.

Candice has continued to include her sons in selected fashion moments as they have grown older. In a Vogue Instagram Reel for its Winter 2025 issue, she appeared alongside Anacan and Ariel in a stylish take on the everyday school drop-off outfit.

The feature brought her modeling career and motherhood together in a particularly personal way. It also offered a glimpse of the boys alongside their mother in a setting that felt closer to everyday family life than a traditional runway appearance.

Why She Makes Time for Her Children Even During Fashion Week

Candice has been candid about the challenge of balancing motherhood with a career that requires frequent travel. In Vogue's diary, she described flying back to New York between fashion commitments so she could spend time with her children rather than using the break to rest.

"After my last show, or event, in Milan, I fly back to New York for two days to be with them," she explained. She acknowledged that the arrangement meant sacrificing the rest other people might choose after a demanding show. For her, however, being present with her boys was worth the extra effort.

"Other people are like, Yeah, I'm gonna go and have a rest when I get home. But when I get home is like when the real work starts."

The model also spoke about the physical and emotional changes that come with pregnancy and childbirth, emphasizing that becoming a mother can reshape how a woman feels about her body. She described the experience as something that made her proud regardless of how she looked afterward.

"Such a crazy experience, pregnancy and giving birth," she said in the Vogue video. "You don't really feel normal until a year afterwards." She continued, "The fact that we can create a human being and do that, it makes you proud no matter how your body looks or how you feel like."

Her perspective is consistent with what she has said in other interviews: that her children are a central part of her life, but that continuing to work and pursue her own ambitions matters, too. In a 2023 interview with V Magazine, Candice reflected on the importance of recognizing her own needs while raising her children.

"Life is a constant search for balance, for me at least, and yes, I do sometimes feel overwhelmed, but I'm very in tune with my children's needs, then my own personal needs, which are also important," she said.

She went on to explain that taking care of herself helps her become a better mother and that her children are beginning to understand why her work and personal well-being matter.

"I think it's very healthy and important for them to see everything I do," she added, recalling how her own father's dedication to running the family farm had influenced her work ethic.

Tom Brady Has Three Children of His Own

Candice's reported relationship with Tom Brady has also drawn attention to the family lives they each have outside their professional careers.

The former NFL quarterback has three children: son John "Jack" Edward Thomas Moynahan, whom he shares with actress Bridget Moynahan, and son Benjamin Rein Brady, and daughter Vivian Lake Brady, whom he shares with his former wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

Like Candice, Tom has frequently shared glimpses of his life as a parent, including moments spent with his children away from his professional commitments.

One of those occasions was a football-related celebration that he documented in an Instagram post, reflecting on the experience of watching a major sporting event from a different perspective. "What a finale to one of the greatest month long sporting events we've ever seen. So happy to share it with my favorite crew."

Tom went on to thank the people who had made the event memorable and reflected on the place sports have held in his life. "To everyone who made this month what it was, friends, family, and the athletes from around the world who stepped in the arena… these are the memories we’ll be talking about for the rest of our lives, and I'm glad I made them with you.

"Sports have given me everything. But watching this one from the other side reminded me why any of us fall in love with sports in the first place. Thank you for the memories @fifaworldcup, see you in 4 years!"

The post offered a glimpse of the former quarterback enjoying an important sporting occasion with the people closest to him. It also showed the more personal side of a man whose career spent decades placing him in front of enormous audiences.

Inside Tom and Candice's Reported Romance

The reports linking Candice and Tom have added another layer of interest to their lives. According to Us Weekly, a source said the former quarterback and the South African model had been dating for a while. A subsequent PEOPLE report offered further details, with an insider saying that the pair's shared home base in Miami made spending time together convenient.

"They both live in Miami, so it's very convenient," the insider said. "They're spending a lot of time together." Another source told PEOPLE, "Candice and Tom have been dating for months. She's been very secretive and selective about who she's told about their dating. When they have met up, they've gone [to great] lengths not to be spotted."

Neither Candice nor Tom had publicly addressed the reported romance in the accounts cited here. The reports therefore offer an account of their alleged relationship through unnamed sources rather than a public confirmation from the pair themselves.

If the reports about their romance are accurate, Candice and Tom bring together two families with very different experiences but one significant common ground: parenthood. Candice has two sons, while Tom has three children, and both have spoken publicly about the importance of making time for family despite demanding careers.

Two Busy Careers, Five Children, and Plenty of Family Memories

Candice's photos tell a story that goes beyond designer outfits and runway appearances. From affectionate snapshots of Anacan and Ariel to moments spent traveling and working, they show a mother who has tried to preserve the joys of family life while continuing to build her career.

Tom's own family photographs offer a similar reminder that his identity extends beyond football. His children have been part of the memories he has chosen to share publicly, even as he has kept other aspects of his private life out of view.

For now, the romance remains reported rather than publicly confirmed by either star. But the photos of Candice's life away from the runway offer an especially personal look at the woman at the center of the headlines—and the family world that matters to her most.