Shakira and Gerard Piqué Relationship and Split Timeline
- Shakira and Gerard Piqué announced their separation in June 2022.
- The Colombian singer and Spanish soccer star began dating in 2011. They were together for 11 years.
- Since then, Shakira has released a song about the breakup and Piqué has begun a new relationship.
In 2010, Shakira met Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué on the set of her song, ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’
The music video for the track, which was the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, featured many famous soccer stars, including Dani Alves, Carlos Kameni, Lionel Messi, and Rafael Marquez, as well as Piqué – whose team was that year’s champion.
“I wasn’t a soccer fan, so I didn’t know who he was,” Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, told CBS’s “60 Minutes” in 2020, recalling how they met. “When I saw the video, I was like, ‘Hmm, that one’s kind of cute.’And then someone decided to introduce us.”
In a separate interview, Piqué said that their relationship “all started when we were together in South Africa and I wrote to her.”
He told Spain’s TV3 in 2016: “She was already there because she sang in the opening ceremony, and I asked her what the weather was like. It is the typical stupid question … it got to the point where I told her we would have to get to the World Cup final to see her again — she was singing at the final.”
At the time, Shakira was still in a relationship with Antonio de la Rúa, but the two announced their split in January 2011
Ethan Miller/Getty Images for CineVegas/Getty Images
Shakira and de la Rúa began dating in 2000 when the Colombian singer was in her early 20s and had just begun receiving international acclaim as a Latin singer.
Throughout the course of their relationship, the Argentine lawyer had become Shakira’s lawyer, and the two worked very closely together.
However, in January 2011, the pair confirmed they had separated in August 2010 in what they described in a joint statement as “a mutual decision to take time apart from our romantic relationship.”
“Throughout this time we have continued to work together hand in hand, have remained close and have kept the details absolutely private until now,” their statement continued, adding that they “view this period of separation as temporary.”
The following month, Shakira and Piqué were spotted spending time together and in March 2011, they made things Instagram official
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer and former Manchester United player were pictured holding hands after leaving a restaurant in Barcelona in late February, as well as jetting off for a getaway in February, just a month after her split from de la Rúa was announced.
At the time, they maintained that there was nothing more than friendship between them.
However, a month later, the pair made things official, declaring their love on social media. Shakira shared a photo of the two of them on Facebook and Twitter which showed Piqué with his arms wrapped around her.
“Les presento a mi sol…” she wrote in the caption, which translates to: “I present to you my sun.”
A few months later in May 2011, Piqué joined Shakira onstage at one of her concerts in Spain
Europa Press/Europa Press via Getty Images
The Spanish player, alongside his teammates Xavi Hernandez, Bojan Krkić, and Sergio Busquets, joined the singer onstage during an interlude at her show at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys stadium in his native Barcelona in May 2011.
During the break from her concert, Shakira attempted to teach the players some of her signature dance moves to varying degrees of success.
After it was over, Piqué wrapped his arms around the singer and the two shared a kiss.
Shakira and Piqué made their red-carpet debut as a couple in January 2012
Stuart Franklin – FIFA/Getty Images
The couple made their first joint public appearance in January 2012 to attend the Fifa Ballon d’Or Gala, which took place in Zurich, Switzerland.
In January 2013, the couple welcomed their first child together: a son named Milan
UNICEF via Getty Images
After confirming her pregnancy in an Instagram post that showed her lying on Piqué and her shirt pulled up to show off her baby bump, Shakira gave birth to the couple’s first child together, a son, on January 22, 2013.
“We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué,” the singer wrote on her website, adding: “Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth.”
She went on to explain that his name means “dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification.”
In an interview with Us Weekly, Shakira described Piqué as “the kind of dad who’s full hands on.”
“He changes diapers, he bathes him, he enjoys playing with the baby, he enjoys feeding him, all of that stuff,” she said. “So that’s great help for me, you know. I can’t imagine doing all of this and not having the father do his part of the job. So that’s a huge help to me.”
In 2014, Shakira addressed the fact that the pair were not married and said she did not feel it was ‘a necessary step in a couple’s life’
Europa Press/Europa Press via Getty Images
“We already have what’s essential, you know?” the “She Wolf” singer told Glamour. “We have a union, a love for each other, and a baby. I think that those aspects of our relationship are already established, and marriage is not going to change them. But if I’m ever going to get married, he’s the one.”
In a separate interview while promoting her new collaboration with Rihanna, “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” Shakira said that it was Piqué had “more than implied” that he would not be happy with her shooting music videos featuring men.
“He’s very territorial, and since he no longer lets me do videos with men, well, I have to do them with women,” she told Billboard. “It’s out of the question – which I like, by the way. I like that he protects his turf and he values me, in a way that the only person that he would ever let graze my thigh would be Rihanna.”
Shakira gave birth to their second son, Sasha, in January 2015
On January 29, 2015 — seven days after their older son’s second birthday — the couple welcomed their second child together, a son named Sasha Piqué Mebarak.
“The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means ‘defender of mankind’ and ‘warrior,'” Shakira wrote on her website, explaining the name’s etymology as she had done for her first child.
In August 2018, Shakira shared a touching tribute to Piqué after he retired from international soccer
Christopher Polk/Billboard Awards 2014/Getty Images
Piqué announced to the world that he would be retiring from international soccer after the 2018 World Cup.
Posting a photo of the player on the pitch, Shakira penned a touching tribute to Piqué on Instagram in Spanish that translates to: “Love, finished the stage that we will always keep in our hearts. One of the happiest moments of my life has also been seeing you win in 2010 with the national team and celebrate with Spain champions! Shak.”
In January 2020, Shakira admitted that ‘marriage scares the shit out of me’
CBS
In a joint interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” the couple was once again quizzed over their decision not to marry.
Shakira responded: “To tell you the truth, marriage scares the shit out of me. I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend,” she said.
Piqué agreed, adding: “The girlfriend.”
“Exactly. His lover, his girlfriend. It’s like a little forbidden fruit, you know?” Shakira continued with a laugh. “I wanna keep him on his toes. I want him to think that anything’s possible depending on behavior.”
In January 2022, Shakira opened up about some of the difficulties they faced in their relationship
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
In January 2022, Shakira appeared on the “Planet Weirdo with Holly H” podcast and spoke about how she and Piqué fought over the singer’s lack of punctuality and time mismanagement.
“My poor husband, slash boyfriend, slash baby daddy, whatever you want to call him, he has to wait up for me so long. He’s tired of waiting up,” she said, per Entertainment Tonight Canada. “‘Cause Colombian time is not the same as Catalonian time, Spanish time.”
She went on to say that Piqué is used to a regimented schedule, whereas she is not because “my career has been consuming my entire life.”
“He’s very strict, very punctual. He’s been brought up in a football team where he’s a team player and he has to be [punctual]. It’s like the army,” Shakira said. “There is like a combination of an army slash kindergarten.”
“His mind is structured like that and mine. I’m a little, you know – and so I’ve become a lot more punctual since I met him,” she added. “But the times that we actually fight is because I’m late and he’s waiting up.”
She continued: “I’ve always been like working, and it doesn’t matter if he needs it. If I need to work on a Saturday or Sunday or Monday, it’s the same. So I completely lost the notion of time, that fear.”
In June 2022, Shakira and Piqué announced that they had broken up after 11 years together
Confirming that they were parting ways, the couple released a joint statement from Shakira’s PR team.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” the short statement read. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
3 months later, Shakira addressed the breakup for the first time, calling it ‘the darkest hours of my life’
Shakira broke her silence on the separation in September 2022 in a cover story interview for ELLE.
The “Whenever Wherever” singer said that while it had been “tough” for herself, it was also an “incredibly difficult” time for the couple’s two children who are 10 and 8 years old.
“I’ve tried to conceal the situation in front of my kids. I try to do it and to protect them, because that’s my number one mission in life,” she said. “But then they hear things in school from their friends or they come across some disagreeable, unpleasant news online, and it just affects them, you know?”
“It’s really upsetting for two kids who are trying to process their parents’ separation. And sometimes I just feel like this is all a bad dream and that I’m going to wake up at some point. But no, it’s real,” she went on to say.
She added: “And what’s also real is the disappointment to see something as sacred and as special as I thought was the relationship I had with my kids’ father and see that turned into something vulgarized and cheapened by the media.
“And all of this while my dad has been in the ICU and I’ve been fighting on different fronts,” the singer continued.”Like I said, this is probably the darkest hour of my life.”
In October 2022, Shakira released her first song which is speculated to be about the fallout of her relationship with Piqué
Shakira begins the collaboration with Puerto Rican star Ozana, titled “Monotonía,” by singing in Spanish: “It wasn’t your fault, it wasn’t my fault / It was monotony’s fault / I never said anything but it hurt / I knew this would happen.”
Later on in the song, she sings: “Suddenly you were no longer the same / You left me because of your narcissism / You forgot what we were one day.”
In the accompanying music video, the pop star is shown crying in a grocery store before being shot in the chest by a former lover. She then walks around with a large hole in her chest, carrying her heart.
At the end of the video, she locks her heart away in a safe deposit box.
Shakira and Piqué reached a custody agreement the following month
The former couple shared a joint statement with ABC News that read: “Our sole objective is to provide our children with the utmost security and protection and hope that they can continue with their lives in a safe and calm environment.”
“We appreciate that their privacy will be respected,” they added.
According to a source quoted in People, the couple’s two sons would be moving permanently from Barcelona, where Piqué’s family is based, to Miami, where Shakira’s family home is.
The unnamed source told the outlet that the two signed an agreement that is “best for their kids,” and added: “For eight years they have been living in Barcelona, but she and the kids are moving to Miami, where all her maternal family live.”
On January 11, 2023, Shakira released a new song that seemingly addressed Piqué’s betrayal and name-dropped his new girlfriend
In the single with Argentine hitmaker Bizarrap, titled “BZRP Music Session #53,” the Colombian pop star sings about being betrayed by a partner, being replaced by someone younger, and being left living next to her in-laws.
In the first verse of the Spanish-language track, she sings the word “salpique,” (splash), which many have interpreted as a not-so-subtle confirmation that the song is indeed about her ex, as she pauses in between the word so it sounds more like “sal-pique.”
She also appears to drop the name of a woman to who Piqué has been linked in recent weeks, Clara Chia Marti. Just as she played on his name, she plays on his girlfriend’s name when she sings “claramente” (clear) in the pre-chorus, drawing it out so it sounds like she’s saying “calara-mente.”
Elsewhere in the song, Shakira appears to reference the fact that Marti is 12 years younger than Piqué, singing: “I’m worth two 22-year-olds / You traded in a Ferrari for a Twingo / You traded in a Rolex for a Casio.”
On January 25, 2023, Piqué appeared to confirm his relationship with Clara Chia Marti by posting a selfie of the two of them on Instagram
He didn’t include a caption alongside the image, which showed the two of them with their heads pressed together and smiling at the camera.
The post marked the first time that the former soccer star has posted Marti on his page, and has been interpreted by many as confirmation that they are indeed together.
