Shakira confirms split from Piqué: “Regrettably, we're separating”

MUSIC and football fans worldwide are still reeling from the latest high-profile break-up in celebrityland: Colombian-born pop-rocker Shakira and her FC Barcelona 'husband' Gerard Piqué are reportedly splitting up.

Shakira made a brief announcement to that effect on social media, stating that 'regrettably', they were 'separating', but asked the media and public to 'give them some space' out of 'respect for the children'.

The legendary Latin American singer, songwriter and musician, 45, and her striker boyfriend – whom she has never married despite their serious commitment to each other these past nearly 12 years – have two sons, Milan, nine and Sasha, seven.

Two 'World Cup couples' split in as many years

Their union came as a shock to fans, even after rumours started back in summer 2010 during Spain's first-ever World Cup win in South Africa, and which were confirmed when they were seen kissing passionately during a Barça-Osasuna match in April 2011.

It was only then that it had come to light how Shakira had split from her boyfriend of over 11 years, former Argentine president Fernando de la Rúa's son, Antonio.

The couple had seemed inseparable and deeply in love, to the point where Shakira refused to perform on the 2002 video for Underneath Your Clothes with anyone other than Antonio, as she said the words were entirely aimed at him and the song was too intimate for the clip to be filmed alongside another man.

They are the second 'World Cup couple' to separate since the dawn of the 2020s – last year, after a joint major health ordeal, former Real Madrid goalkeeper and Spanish team captain Iker Casillas and his wife, reporter and fashion designer Sara Carbonero, announced in March 2021 they had 'amicably' separated, but were 'still friends' and would be bringing up their young sons, Martín, eight and Lucas, five, together.

Iker, 41, and Sara, 38, had not long moved back to Madrid from Portugal, where they had lived for five years whilst Iker played for FC Oporto.

Their apparently idyllic life by the sea in the neighbouring country was ripped apart in spring 2019, when Iker collapsed with a heart attack during training and, a week later, Sara found out she had early-stage ovarian cancer.

Iker had stents fitted, and was forced to retire, whilst Sara underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy – finishing treatment at around the time most of Europe went into Covid lockdown.

Conflicting rumours, but nothing confirmed

As ever, the rumour mill which went wild over Iker's and Sara's heartbreaking revelation has fired up again over Shakira and Piqué – another couple who seemed perfect together, and who in fact share a birthday, February 2, albeit 10 years apart.

One reporter claimed to have seen Piqué, 35, with a much younger woman, leading fans to question whether infidelity was involved, although another source who says he is 'close' to Piqué insisted the couple had decided three years ago that theirs would henceforth be an 'open relationship'.

The talk show Viva la Vida quoted this source as saying Shakira and Piqué had decided back in 2019, 'you do what you want and I'll do what I want, but in public we'll still be a couple', meaning there was 'no issue of anyone's having an affair'.

This same person alleged Piqué had not even been aware the couple were splitting 'until he found out through the media'.

Yet another media source stated Piqué had moved back into the flat in Barcelona he had lived in when he was still single, and Shakira was staying on in the family home on the outskirts of the city with the children.

Shakira's dad recovers from dramatic fall

One aspect Shakira was, however, quick to clarify was that her 'being spotted in an ambulance' at around the time of their alleged split had nothing to do with her and Piqué's relationship.

She explained that her dad, William Mebarak – born in New York to Lebanese parents – had suffered a very serious fall.

Shakira and her mum Nidia Ripoll – born in Barranquilla, Colombia, but whose paternal grandparents were originally from Catalunya – had both suffered panic attacks and were in a very distressed state as the paramedics attended to William.

Shakira and her mum accompanied her dad to hospital, and she and Nidia were offered counselling, being taken to the private Teknon clinic which Shakira and Piqué habitually use and where the former gave birth to their sons.

Piqué was also shown to be distressed at the situation, seen giving Shakira a reassuring hug and then following the ambulance in his car.

William Mebarak turned out to be fine in the end – Shakira uploaded a photo on social media, where she is seen embracing her dad, who is smiling despite his sorely bruised face.

Whatever the circumstances behind their separation – and which, of course, are nobody's business but Shakira's and Piqué's – over the last nearly a decade it has been very obvious to fans that the pair are utterly devoted to and in love with their children, both of whom became officially paid-up Barça fan club members hours after their birth, so it is almost certain that the boys will be sheltered from media speculation as far as possible, and that both parents will turn themselves inside-out to ensure they are affected as little as possible by the situation.

To this end, it would seem very unlikely Shakira, who was born and grew up in Barranquilla but had been living with Antonio de la Rúa in Miami before she met Piqué, will move away from the Barcelona area.