Shakira and longtime partner Gerard Piqué have announced that they are separating, marking an end to the couple’s 11-year long relationship.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” the two said in a joint statement released by the Colombian pop star’s public relations firm on Saturday. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
Shakira, 45, met Piqué, a 35-year-old Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona, while she was promoting her 2010 World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”
It is believed tkhe couple first confirmed their relationship in March 2011. In 2012, Shakira revealed she was pregnant with their first child.
Shakira and Piqué share two children, Sasha and Milan. Throughout their years together, the couple never chose to get married – but appeared to be very happy as longtime partners.
“To tell you the truth, marriage scares…me. I don’t want [Piqué] to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend,” Shakira told 60 Minutes in 2020 ahead of performing the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Jennifer Lopez, laughing. “His lover, his girlfriend. It’s like a little forbidden fruit, you know?”
In recent days, rumors about the end of the couple’s relationship had spread throughout Spanish media, fueled by reports that Piqué had left the family’s home in Barcelona and was living by himself in the city.
Source: USA Today
