Gerard Piqué and Shakira announce separation after 12 years

Colombian singer Shakira and Barcelona football star Gerard Piqué announced at the weekend that they are separating after nearly 12 years together. The couple, who have two children, made the announcement in a joint statement published by Spain’s news agency EFE.

‘We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we request respect for our privacy. Thank you for your understanding,’ the short statement read.

Shakira, 45, and Piqué, 35, met in 2010 before the World Cup in South Africa. She was performing at the event, while Piqué was one of the stars that led Spain to win the title and become world champion.

Shortly before travelling to South Africa, Piqué had met Shakira in Madrid. ‘I told her that we would meet in the final. She was going to sing the anthem at the closing ceremony and I assumed that we would play that game. We lost the first game [against Switzerland in the first round], but we won the final,’ he said in a 2020 interview with Catalan newspaper L’Esportiu.

Their first child, a boy named Milan, was born in January 2013, their second, Sasha, in January 2015.

Despite many rumours about a possible wedding over the years, Shakira and Piqué are not married. In 2019, the Colombian singer said that they have an unconventional relationship.

Shakira has also been in the news recently after a Barcelona court dismissed her appeal to have a tax fraud case dismissed, paving the way for a trial after a judge had previously concluded there was enough evidence to suggest the pop star may have avoided her fiscal obligations in Spain. ALSO READ: Barcelona court dismisses Shakira’s appeal against tax fraud case of €14.5m.