Shakira, Pique split after living together for 12 years
Colombian pop star Shakira and Spanish footballer Gerard Pique have confirmed that they are bringing to an end to their 12-year relationship.
The couple have two children together, but it has been reported that their relationship has broken down over claims of the footballer’s infidelity.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our top priority, we are asking for respect for their privacy,” the couple said in a joint statement.
Spanish publication El Periodico reported that Shakira caught Pique red-handed cheating on her with another woman.
Reports in Spain also claim that Shakira is now considering leaving the country as she has “no friends or family” in Barcelona that aren’t Pique’s.
Shakira began dating the highly-decorated Barcelona defender back in 2011. The pair initially met while the Colombian singer was filming the music video for her World Cup hit record Waka Waka in 2010.
While they were never married, Shakira and Pique had two sons, Milan (9), and Sasha (7), during their relationship.
Shakira caught Gerard Piqué cheating on her with another woman. They will separate soon. For weeks, Piqué has been living alone in an apartment in Barcelona.
— @elperiodico pic.twitter.com/37HKz2Cta8
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) June 1, 2022
It has also been reported that the 35-year-old Pique, who is one of the most senior figures at Barcelona, has now left the family home where Shakira, 45, and their two children are living.
The breakup comes barely a month after a court in Spain dismissed Shakira’s appeal in a tax fraud case, paving the way for a trial after a judge previously concluded there was enough evidence that the pop star may have avoided her fiscal obligations to the state.
The case first made headlines in December 2018 after Spanish prosecutors charged the singer with failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($15.5 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. Shakira denied any wrongdoing when she testified in June 2019.
If found guilty of tax evasion, the singer faces a possible fine and a prison sentence. However, in Spain a judge can waive prison time for first-time offenders if they are sentenced to less than two years behind bars.