What We Know About Gisele Bundchen's Siblings

Gisele Bündchen, arguably the most famous supermodel to ever grace the runway, is a Brazil native who comes from a family of all sisters. The brood is so large you'd need more than one hand to count them, no doubt placing their father, Valdir Bündchen, in the hall-of-fame of girl dads. The supermodel has always been open about how important her family is to her, and has frequently posted about her parents, sisters, and children for years on her Instagram account. It's easy to feel the love in her heart-felt birthday tributes, and fans are accustomed to seeing not just modeling shots, but plenty of pics from family outings and intimate get-togethers, highlighting the Bündchen sisters' enviable bond.

Much like Gisele's generation, her own children enjoy a close relationship. It's clear the devoted mother has instilled her own strong love of family in the little ones, passing on the very values she learned growing up. She carries those values to this day, making time to bring her kids back to Brazil to visit whenever she can. "Any time we can spend time with family is just great, especially to see the beautiful bond the kids have with their cousins as they are all growing up is priceless," she told People in 2023.

While all of Gisele's sisters have shunned the spotlight and little is known about their personal lives, read on to learn what we do know about the women who grew up with the former Victoria's Secret angel.

As one of the world's top models, Gisele Bündchen is no stranger to being the center of attention, but when she was growing up in a small town in Brazil, things were a bit different. "When I was growing up in Horizontina, there were six of us girls at the dinner table, six voices rising up to talk or laugh or disagree at once," Gisele penned in her memoir, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life." She even admitted her father implemented a rule for the girls to raise a hand if they wanted to say something in an effort to control the chaos. 

Today, Bündchen lives a lavish life. Growing up, though, her large family of eight shared a two-bedroom, two-bathroom house, but Gisele wouldn't have had it any other way. "We weren't considered poor, we were considered middle-class," she told Vanity Fair, going on explain that it was her mother, Vânia Nonnenmacher, who ran the almost exclusively female household. "My mother was, like, the one who was more concerned about how to bring home the bacon; she worked and devoted herself to us." The family suffered an immeasurable loss in January of 2024, when Vânia died of cancer at age 75.

Eldest sister Raquel, Graziela, twins Gisele and Patrica, Gabriela, and Rafaela, the baby of the family, have remained close throughout the years, their special relationships remaining central for the famous model and fueling her desire to have a large family of her own. "I love children. When you come from a big family, you see that growing up you're learning how to share," she explained to Vanity Fair. "Your sisters have got your back; you're not alone in this— 'We all support you!' Your family provides that; it gives you a sense of safety, and it's a very grounding feeling." 

It's hard to believe that anyone could compete with world-renowned supermodel Gisele Bündchen, but Gisele herself insists that Patricia Bündchen, who goes by Pati, was the more popular twin growing up. "I wasn't so popular; my twin sister was definitely more popular than I was. She has a great personality — everyone liked her," she told Vanity Fair. Although the two are fraternal twins, they bear a striking resemblance and share an incredibly close bond. It's not uncommon for Gisele to gush about the woman with whom she shared a womb, telling People: "I know she's got my back like I got hers. We trust each other and we always want the best for one another and that is priceless." 

Pati isn't just a great sister and friend to Gisele, she's a crucial part of her professional life. The twins have worked together for many years, with Pati managing her famous sister and taking an active role in her business dealings. She even helped to negotiate that Gisele's contract with Proctor and Gamble be paid in the more desirable euro (as opposed to the American dollar) when Gisele landed her lucrative campaign with Pantene. "Contracts starting now are more attractive in euros because we don't know what will happen to the dollar," Pati told Bloomberg news (via Marie Claire).

Pati still lives in Brazil with her husband, Rodrigo Pereira, who she married in 2010, and their two kids.  With Gisele now making a home in Miami, Florida, they may live on separate continents, but the sisters remain close. "Grateful to be celebrating one more year around the sun with my super sis," Gisele captioned an Instagram on July 21, 2024, featuring a photo of the smiling siblings embracing. 

Although it's very unusual for any of Gisele Bündchen's sisters to step out into the spotlight, it has happened on rare occasions. In March 2007, Gabriela and Rafaela, were notably photographed with their famous sister at the Vogue Fantasy Chic Shack Beach Party at Tottem Gardens in Miami, Florida, an apt place to support her since Gisele has appeared on more than 100 Vogue covers. Gabriela also had everyone talking about how stunning she looked after appearing at a party in New York City to celebrate Gisele's BLK DNM campaign in 2013. In a now-deleted Instagram post the model spoke of Gabriela's visit to the city, sharing, "So happy by [sic] sister Gabi is in town" (via E! News).

More recently, Pati appeared with her twin on the red carpet when Gisele hosted The Luz Alliance Fund Gala in Miami, Florida in 2023. The pair stunned with Pati donning a floor-length floral dress and Gisele breathing new life into an old dress with her eco-friendly gala look. And Pati wasn't just an attendee –- she helped Gisele organize the Gala herself. An impressive $1 million was raised for environmental restoration in Brazil, and the model wasted no time thanking her sister when she spoke about the event's success to People. "This was my first Gala and [I] couldn't have done it without my sister Pati who worked diligently with the Brazil Foundation to organize this special evening," Gisele said. "It was very special to have her here tonight. She worked so hard to organize this event as she does every day."

With killer legs that never miss a beat it's no wonder Gisele Bündchen was destined to end up on a runway professionally, but the Brazilian beauty wasn't the only one in the family to dabble with the idea of being a model. Before she was discovered by an Elite Model Management scout at a McDonald's in São Paulo, Brazil, the world-famous beauty took modeling lessons with two of her sisters. "[Our mom] had to work, so we went to a modeling course –- me and my twin and one of our sisters, Gabby, who's like the second twin because we're one year apart. We were the Three Musketeers, and we did everything together," Gisele told Vanity Fair. "We did ballet, gymnastics — I think my mom was trying to keep us busy." These physical activities likely contributed to the toned physique that got Gisele noticed at an impossibly young age — just 13 years old. Pati now prefers to work behind the scenes, and has mostly avoided the spotlight despite her twin being a household name, but she did grace the cover of Harper's Bazaar with her sister for a special family issue, finally making her a model in her own right. 

Despite that one exception, both Pati and Gabriela did end up working with Gisele professionally, just not as fellow models. The two of them became instrumental to the business side of Gisele's career, and they weren't the only ones.

With the exception of her second eldest sibling, Graziela, who works as judge for the 1st Federal Court of Porto Alegre, Gisele Bündchen has worked in a professional capacity with all of her sisters. We've already covered that twin sister Pati is her manager, and in 2009 Vanity Fair reported that eldest sister Raquel worked for her as an accountant, Gabriela as a lawyer, and youngest sister Rafaela even helped with Gisele's official website.

It's no doubt that Gisele is lucky to have family members assisting with the many different facets of her business, but that's never been where the value of her family lies. Her sisters are first and foremost her friends –- in fact, the supermodel refers to them as her best friends. "My family is everything to me and my sisters are my best friends even if sometimes we disagree," she told People. "Family is what gives us our foundation, they are our greatest teachers, and they help us become who we are." If the past is any indication, Gisele will continue to do great things for years to come, all with her sisters right by her side.