Shakira and longtime partner Gerard Piqué confirm separation after 11 years together

Wyatte Grantham-Philips, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Shakira and longtime partner Gerard Piqué have announced that they are separating, marking an end to the couple's 11-year long relationship.

“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” the two said in a statement released by the Colombian pop star's public relations firm on Saturday. “For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”

Colombian singer Shakira, right, and FC Barcelona's soccer player Gerard Pique pose to the media during the presentation of her new album "Shakira" in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 20, 2014.
Colombian singer Shakira, right, and FC Barcelona's soccer player Gerard Pique pose to the media during the presentation of her new album "Shakira" in Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, March 20, 2014.

Shakira, 45, met Piqué, a 35-year-old Spanish footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona, while she was promoting her 2010 World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”

According to People, the couple first confirmed their relationship in March 2011. In 2012, Shakira revealed she was pregnant with their first child.

Colombian pop star Shakira and her partner, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, are separating. In a statement released June 4, 2022, by Shakira's PR firm, the pair said: "We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy."
Colombian pop star Shakira and her partner, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué, are separating. In a statement released June 4, 2022, by Shakira's PR firm, the pair said: "We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy."

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Shakira and Piqué share two children, Sasha and Milan. Throughout their years together, the couple never chose to get married – but appeared to be happy as longtime partners.

"To tell you the truth, marriage scares … me. I don't want (Piqué) to see me as the wife. I'd rather him see me as his girlfriend," Shakira told 60 Minutes in 2020 ahead of performing the Super Bowl LIV halftime show with Jennifer Lopez, laughing. "His lover, his girlfriend. It's like a little forbidden fruit, you know?"

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In recent days, rumors about the end of the couple's relationship had spread throughout Spanish media, fueled by reports that Piqué had left the family’s home in Barcelona and was living by himself in the city.

On Saturday, Shakira addressed fans' concerns about photographs showing her in an ambulance in Barcelona.

"I just wanted to let you know that these photos are from last weekend (the 28th), when my dad unfortunately had a bad fall and I accompanied him in an ambulance to the hospital where is recovering now," she wrote on Twitter alongside of her embracing her bandaged father.

She asked fans to send best wishes his way.

Contributing: The Associated Press.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shakira, partner Gerard Piqué separate after 11 years together