Shakira and her partner, the FC Barcelona player Gerard Piqué, have announced their separation after 11 years of relationship.
The 45-year-old Colombian pop singer and the 35-year-old football star started dating in 2011 after Piqué appeared in the music video for “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” by Shakira, the official song of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The couple shares two children, nine-year-old Milan and seven-year-old Sasha.
However, the couple issued a joint statement through a public relations agency to announce that they were no longer together.
“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. Thank you for your understanding,” it read.
Rumors about their separation began to circulate earlier this week after Spanish media reported that the FC Barcelona defender had cheated on Shakira.
Spain outlets said the former Manchester United footballer had been “staying alone in his own apartment for weeks” after Shakira discovered his alleged infidelity. News website Marca claimed Piqué has been partying “out of control” and enjoying Barcelona’s nightlife with friends and teammates.
Yesterday, the “Hips Don’t Lie” interpreter confirmed that she had broken up with Piqué with a statement through her publicist but did not give details about the reasons for their separation or mention her partner’s alleged infidelity.
The World Cup winner has not addressed the cheating reports and has not made any individual statement on his split from Shakira.
Their separation comes shortly after Piqué spoke about not having married the Colombian star yet. During an interview with The Overlap, he told Gary Neville: “No, I’m not married. It’s her mentality. I like it how we are right now. We have two kids, nine and seven right now. We work well as a couple.”
The couple’s separation also comes as Shakira faces trial on alleged tax fraud charges in Spain after prosecutors claimed she failed to pay up to 14.5 million euros in 2012-2014 income tax.
The singer lost an appeal in May, but her legal team has said they would continue defending her case with solid legal arguments, arguing that her conduct on tax matters “has always been impeccable in all the countries she had to pay taxes.”
