Shakira Breaks Her Silence on Split From Gerard Piqué

Shakira is speaking out about her split from her partner, Gerard Piqué. During an interview with ELLE, the singer spoke about how she’s been navigating her split from Piqué, with whom she shares two children — sons Milan and Sasha. It was announced earlier this year that Shakira and Piqué split after 11 years together.

Shakira first acknowledged that it was “incredibly difficult” to deal with this split, especially in the spotlight. Even though it was a public split, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer said that she has been trying to “conceal the situation” for the sake of her two sons. She explained, “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?”

Amidst reports of Shakira and Piqué’s split, it was rumored that the soccer player had cheated on her. The 45-year-old did not directly address those cheating allegations with ELLE, but she did touch on how her relationship ultimately came to an end. She said that at one point, her relationship with the athlete felt “sacred,” but that it “turned into something vulgarized and cheapened” amidst the rumors. In reference to the split and the allegations surrounding it, Shakira called it “probably the darkest hour of my life.” After everything that went down, Shakira is simply focused on having a good co-parenting relationship with her ex for the sake of their children. 

“Regardless of how things ended or how Gerard and I feel about each other as ex-partners, he is the father of my children,” she explained. “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.”

In June, Shakira and Piqué confirmed that they had broken up after 11 years together. The news came amidst rumors that Piqué was seeing an unnamed woman and that he and the singer were already living apart. Despite the rumors, the pair released a joint statement that read, “We regret to confirm that we are parting ways. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”