Shakira Opens Up About Partner Gerard Piqué: “I Don't Want Him to See Me as the Wife”

From Oprah Magazine

• Shakira and her longtime partner Gerard Piqué have been together for almost 10 years, consistently giving fans peeks at their happy family on Instagram.

• The two started dating in 2010 after meeting on the set of her "Waka Waka" music video.

• They are also parents to two sons, Milan, 6, and Sasha, 4.

Folks in the entertainment industry regular jump from one relationship to the next, but for Shakira and her partner Gerard Piqué, a Spanish professional soccer player, their love is still going strong almost a decade after meeting.

The couple have two children together, Milan, 6, and Sasha, 4, and some might say their relationship was destiny. Why? They share the same birthday, February 2, though 10 years apart; Shakira is 42 and Piqué is 32.

When they aren't sharing adorable family pictures on Instagram, they tend to keep their relationship private. Shakira, of course, does make some exceptions. In a 2013 interview with Elle, the singer opened up about how meeting Piqué restored her faith.

"I think, if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love. I even had lost my faith for a while. I was becoming as agnostic," she said. "And it was really hard, because I was always very religious, and for a few years, maybe because—it sounds so corny—I was not feeling the love like it was supposed to be, I started to think that there was no God. And suddenly I meet Gerard and the sun comes out."

More recently, in an interview with 60 Minutes to promote her half-time show with Jennifer Lopez at the upcoming 2020 Super Bowl LIV, Shakira revealed that she actually wasn't a soccer fan until she met Piqué and despite their long relationship together, marriage still scares her. "I don't want him to see me as the wife. I'd rather him see me as his girlfriend," she said, laughing.

To celebrate their romance, revisit how it all started.

2010: Shakira and Piqué meet on the set of her "Waka Waka" music video.

For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Shakira released the official song, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," she actually first met Piqué while filming her music video. If you watch the video above, you'll notice he's one of the soccer stars in it.

"It all started when we were in South Africa and I wrote to her. She was already there because she sang in the opening ceremony and I asked her what the weather was like. It is the typical stupid question, and the normal answer is to tell me to bring a jacket," he told TV3 in 2016. "But she started telling me what the weather was like in every single moment and it got to the point where I told her we would have to get to the World Cup final to see her again—she was singing at the final."

Piqué and his team did end up winning the World Cup that year.

2011: Piqué and Shakira start dating.

One of the first pictures seen of the couple together was from a May 2011 concert of hers in Barcelona, Spain, where he got up on stage. The two were later seen kissing backstage, further proving they were indeed an item.

2012: Shakira and Piqué announce they are expecting their first child.

In September 2012, Shakira revealed on her website that she was pregnant with her and Piqué's first child. "As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At the time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives," she wrote on her website.

2013: Piqué and Shakira welcome their son.

Shakira gave birth to their son Milan Piqué Mebarak on January 22, 2013.

"The name Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification," she wrote on her site. "Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth."

2014: Shakira reveals she and Piqué have no plans to get married.

At this point, Shakira and Piqué had been together for three years. When asked if they had plans to tie the knot, she delivered a quick no.

"We already have what's essential, you know? We have a union, a love for each other, and a baby. I think that those aspects of our relationship are already established, and marriage is not going to change them," she told Glamour in 2014. "But if I'm ever going to get married, he's the one."

2014: Piqué and Shakira announce they are expecting their second child.

And the family keeps growing! After revealing they were expecting another child to Cosmopolitan Mexico, the couple announced it was going to be another boy.

2015: Shakira and Piqué welcome Sasha.

On January 29, 2015, Shakira gave birth to her second child with Piqué, a boy named Sasha Piqué Mebarak.

"The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means 'defender of mankind' and 'warrior,'" she wrote on Instagram.

In a 2017 interview with Hola!, Shakira opened up about what life was like as a mother of two. "I used to be the center of my world, and now I am only a satellite of my children. It's the hardest job I've ever had," she said.

2017: Shakira releases a song about her and Piqué's love story.

Shakira released the song "Me Enamoré" off her album El Dorado. The song's title translates to "I feel in love," and—you guessed it—is all about Piqué. In the lyrics, she addresses how she fell in love with his beard and lips first. It also explains how they started a family and are still head over heels for each other. Indeed, we'll keep it on repeat.

2020: Shakira reveals new details about her relationship with Piqué on 60 Minutes.

It may be hard to believe now given their long history together, but Shakira revealed in a 60 Minutes interview that she had no idea who the soccer phenomenon was when she first met him. "I wasn't a soccer fan so I didn't know who he was. But when I saw the video, I was like, "Hmm. That one's kind of cute," she explained while laughing. "And then someone decided to introduce us." And good thing they did.

Despite their long history together, marriage is still scary for Shakira. "To tell you the truth, marriage scares the out of me. I don't want him to see me as the wife. I'd rather him see me as his girlfriend," said Shakira as Piqué laughed during their joint interview with 60 Minutes. "His lover, his girlfriend. It's like a little forbidden fruit, you know? I wanna keep him on his toes. I want him to think that anything's possible depending on behavior."

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