It seemed that there was no room for scandals in the family of the singer and footballer. More than 10 years together, two children, without rumors or gossip. Nobody even focused on the age difference: Shakira is 10 years older than Gerard. Therefore, the couple’s fans were baffled by the news of an impending divorce. The reason was Piqué’s betrayal.
How it all began
In 2010, Shakira’s song Waka Waka (This is Africa) was chosen as the FIFA World Cup anthem. Many famous footballers participated in the video, including the Spanish Gerard Piqué.
The fateful meeting took place on the set and, as Piqué later admitted, he fell in love with the sensual Colombian at first sight.
“I wasn’t a soccer fan, so I didn’t know who he was,” Shakira said honestly. But she really liked the handsome Spaniard. It’s funny, but Gerard believes that it was her new love that became her motivation to do everything possible for her team to win the championship.
Shakira performs the song Waka Waka (This is Africa)
Photo: Pool/Getty Images
“I told him that if our match requires reaching the World Cup final, then I will do it,” Piqué said later.
The age difference did not bother the singer and the footballer, but the obstacle was that they were both in a relationship. For the sake of Piqué, Shakira broke up with the son of former Argentine president Antonio de la Rúa, and Gerard left his passion, actress Nuria Thomas.
For the singer, the separation from Antonio, with whom she lived for 11 years in a civil marriage, became a scandal. The offended man sued her ex, demanding $250 million. Antonio claimed that he helped build Shakira’s career and that he was practically her agent. And he valued her services at that amount. It is true that a year later he reduced it to 100 million dollars and, a little later, to 45 million dollars. As a result, the court rejected all of Antonio’s claims.
Shakira and Antonio de la Rúa
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The litigation could not overshadow the lovers’ happiness. Shakira and Gerard initially hid their romance. The couple made the confession on their first anniversary, on March 29, 2011. Both stars posted the same photo together on social media with the same caption: “I present to you my sun.”
A happy family
In 2012, Shakira gave birth to her first child, Milan. Piqué was in seventh heaven and the singer, in an interview with Us Weekly, was moved by the paternal qualities of her beloved man.
“He is an incredible father. The baby spends as much time with me as he does with his dad. He changes diapers and likes to bathe his son. And for me this is a real help and support.”
Three years later, their son Sasha was born. Everyone was waiting for Gerard to accompany Shakira to the altar. But the couple was in no hurry to get married. In addition, the singer admitted that she does not need any seal, that she does not like luxurious celebrations and that love does not require any official confirmation. And millions of fans believed her words.
These are the people who are capable of creating strong families:
Secure attachment in relationships: what is it and how to form it?
“We already have the basics. Family, mutual love, children. I believe these aspects of our relationship are already established and marriage will not change them. But if one day I get married, it will be once and for all,” Shakira said then.
Then the singer moved to Gerard’s homeland. Shakira was so passionate about her family problems that she seriously thought about ending her career and dedicating herself completely to her beloved husband and children.
“The question was: either he would break his contract with Barcelona and move with me to the United States, where my career is developing, or I would have to leave my business. One of the two would have to make an effort and sacrifice. And I did it. I had to put my career on the back burner and come to Spain to support Gerard so he could play football and win titles. And it was a sacrifice in the name of love,” Shakira later shared.
Thunder in paradise
The first warning signs that not everything in the ideal family is as good as it seems appeared in 2022. Shakira used to lavish praise and confessions on her husband in interviews, but in January 2022 she suddenly casually admitted that they often fight. All because of her lack of punctuality.
“Gerard is very strict and very punctual. He grew up on a soccer team where he is a team player and has to be indispensable. Like in the army. “So when I’m late, he waits and gets angry.”
Shakira and Gerard Piqué
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
In June of the same year, Shakira and Gerard made an official confession: they were no longer a couple. “We regret to inform you that we have separated. For the well-being of our children, which is our top priority, we ask that you respect our privacy. Thank you for your understanding,” the statement sounded dry and brief.
But three months later, Shakira gave a devastating and scandalous interview. According to her, Gerard cheated on her for more than a year. The singer tried to save the union for the sake of the children, but she no longer had enough strength.
“I tried to hide the situation from the children. But then I realized that they can learn everything in school, from the Internet, from the media, and from other people. Sometimes I just think that this is all a bad dream and that at some point I will wake up. But no, this is real…” said the star in an interview.
Shakira literally caught her husband red-handed. She began a romance with the student Clara Chia Martí, 23 years old. According to friends of the couple, the footballer met her in 2021 in one of the bars where the young beauty worked as a waitress. Later, Piqué hired Clara for her marketing company and the romance reached a new level.
There were rumors that the singer found out about the betrayal in a random and extremely strange way. Shakira supposedly discovered an empty jar of strawberry jam, which only she loved. The trend of exposing unfaithful boys was even actively replicated on social networks. But then the singer said that this was fiction.
We talk about everything related to this difficult topic:
How to survive grief and help a loved one cope? global guide
He made money from a divorce and almost went to jail.
After the first interview, several more followed, in which Shakira no longer hesitated to touch her ex’s bones. The star released two songs whose words spoke for themselves.
“I won’t come back here, I don’t want any more disappointments. There’s a lot of talk about being a champion, but when I needed you, you showed me the worst version of yourself. I’m worth two 22-year-old boys, you changed a Ferrari for a Twingo, you changed a Rolex for a Casio. You left me with your mother as a neighbor, with journalists at my door and debts with the Treasury. You thought you hurt me, but you made me stronger. “We women no longer cry, now they pay us.”
The video with this review received more than 100 million views on YouTube in three days. A large number of women supported Shakira, and Pike was attacked by hate: thousands of angry comments on his account, boos during the game and “Shakira” chants, direct threats to his new passion. Gerard even had to hire security for Clara. And Shakira, with her song, broke 14 Guinness records and earned tens of millions!
Her mother-in-law, Piqué’s mother, Montserrat Bernabeu, with whom Shakira had a tense relationship, also suffered. The woman is only 15 years older than her chosen son and she was extremely dissatisfied with her choice. Only the appearance of her grandchildren melted the ice a little, but Montserrat was always too demanding with her daughter-in-law.
Shakira and Gerard Piqué
Photo: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Some sources say that Bernabeu tried to reconcile the couple, others claim that he very sincerely accepted the homewrecker Clara into the family. And the second version turned out to be true. Photos of Clara, Gerard and her parents spending their holidays together have appeared on the Internet. In retaliation, Shakira hung a witch mannequin on her balcony in front of her ex-mother-in-law’s house.
The singer also admitted that she was hurt not only by the fact of betrayal, but also by her husband’s betrayal at the most difficult moment in her life. Shakira’s father was hospitalized with a serious illness. She was with him all the time, and at that time Gerard was having fun with Clara.
At the same time, there were disputes with the Spanish tax service. Shakira was facing a real prison sentence for concealment of income and non-payment of taxes. Therefore, the singer’s long move to her husband’s homeland came back to haunt her. Spanish prosecutors alleged that the star failed to pay 14.5 million euros to the treasury between 2012 and 2014. Shakira’s lawyers tried to convince the court that her client only moved to Spain in 2015.
The lawsuit ended with Shakira admitting her guilt. A Barcelona court sentenced her to three years of probation and a fine of 7.8 million euros. “I had two options: fight to the end, endangering my peace of mind and that of my children, stop creating songs, albums and tours, or close. this chapter of my life and leave it in the past,” Shakira told the newspaper El Mundo.
Shakira and Gerard Piqué with their son
Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images
Gerard Piqué and Shakira now
Shakira and her children moved from Spain to the United States. She lives in Miami and has been granted sole custody of the children.
“I went through several stages: denial, anger, hurt, disappointment, anger and hurt again. I am currently in the survival stage. My priority was my home and my family. He believed in “until death do us part.” My parents have been together for 50 years and love each other like the first day, with a unique and inimitable love. And this has always been my example. This is what I wanted for myself and my children, but it didn’t happen. I believe that nothing can compensate for the pain of family destruction. But I must move forward for the sake of my children, this is my greatest motivation,” Shakira shared with Billboard magazine.
Shakira was credited with having affairs with Tom Cruise and racing driver Lewis Hamilton. Recently, the Colombian was seen on a date with the star of the series “Emily in Paris”, Lucien Laviscount, 31 years old.
Last year, Gerard Piqué planned to live with Clara in the same house where he lived with Shakira and their children. They say that the footballer is preparing to propose marriage to his beloved. However, Spanish paparazzi claim that they have repeatedly seen the fleeting athlete leaving clubs in the company of beautiful strangers.
See the psychologist’s analysis and instructions:
Emotions and feelings: what are the differences, how to learn to manage them and achieve balance
Do you want more tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle?
Subscribe to the weekly Lifestyle newsletter.
Subscribe by email
