Shakira has announced she is splitting from footballer Gerard Piqué after 11 years together.
The 45 year old singer, who shares two children with Gerard, shared the news in a statement on Saturday 4 June.
It read: “We regret to confirm that we are parting ways. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
The Hips Don’t Lie singer and footballer Gerard, 35, share Milan Piqué Mebarak, nine, and seven year old Sasha Piqué Mebarak together.
Shakira and Gerard have been together since 2011. They met the year before in 2010 while filming the music video for Shakira’s World Cup hit Waka Waka together.
Speaking about the start of their relationship, Gerard said: “It all started when we were in South Africa and I wrote to her.”
The pair have never tied the knot, despite their long-standing relationship, with Pique saying the decision was down to Shakira’s “mentality”.
He told Gary Neville on an episode of The Overlap: “No, I’m not married. It’s her mentality. I like it how we are right now. We have two kids, nine and seven right now. We work good as a couple.”
The couple were very much public with their relationship, with Shakira marking Gerard’s 600th appearance for Barcelona in March with a heartfelt post on social media.
Another time, the footballer risked the wrath of Shakira by claiming that playing against Barcelona’s rival team, Espanyol, was better than sex.
He said in an interview with YouTuber Jordi Wild: “I’m happy that Espanyol has been promoted to the first division because that’s how we play in their stadium.
“I like to go there, I get whistled at all the time. You laugh and the fans get even madder.
But this week there have been reports that claimed the Barcelona defender had been “staying alone in his own apartment for weeks” which also suggested alleged infidelity on Gerard’s part.
