Shakira’s ex-boyfriend, Gerard Pique, is finally speaking out about their breakup. Us Weekly reported that Pique addressed their split during an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais. His comments come almost a year after it was reported that Shakira and Pique split after 11 years together.
Pique told the outlet, “I keep doing what I want.” He added that he feels “very happy” in his life, adding, “The day I die, I will look back and hope I have always done what I wanted. I want to be faithful to myself.” The retired athlete went on to reflect on his “image,” which he noted he has no desire to “clean up” in the wake of his split from Shakira, which was marred by allegations that he cheated on her.
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“I’m not going to spend money cleaning up my image,” Pique said. “There have been changes in my life and I have known how to preserve happiness.” In June 2022, Pique and Shakira, who share two sons together, announced that they were going their separate ways after 11 years together. At the time, they released a joint statement that read, “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy.” As previously mentioned, their split came shortly after rumors popped up that Pique was allegedly seeing another woman.
Months after the split, Shakira opened up about the situation to ELLE. She told the publication in September 2022 that she originally tried to “conceal the situation” for the sake of her two children, explaining, “I try to do it and to protect them, because that’s my number one mission in life. 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?”
Shakira also spoke about her relationship with Pique, which once felt “sacred” to her. She went on to say that it “turned into something vulgarized and cheapened” amid the cheating allegations. Even though things didn’t seem to end on the most positive note, the singer said that she and Pique are committed to having a good co-parenting relationship for the sake of their sons. Shakira added, “We have a job to do for these two incredible boys, and I have faith that we will figure out what is best for their future, their own dreams in life, and what is a fair solution for everyone involved. And I hope and would appreciate if we were given the space to do that privately.”