Gerard Pique, the Barcelona defender, and Columbian superstar Shakira called off their relationship of more than a decade on Saturday.
KAMPALA | LIFESTYLE UGANDA — Gerard Pique, the Barcelona defender, and Columbian superstar Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll aka Shakira called off their relationship of more than a decade on Saturday.
Shakira, 45, is one of the biggest names in the global music industry and has sold more than 60 million records. She is known for her popular song Hips Don’t Lie.
Pique, a 35-year-old Spanish football legend, has won the 2010 World Cup as well as the 2012 European Championship and is a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona.
Shakira and Gerard Pique are parents of two sons, Sasha Piqué Mebarak and Milan Piqué Mebarak, and have lived together out on the outskirts of Barcelona for many years.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy,” they said in the statement. “Thank you for your understanding.”
Her mix of Latin, Arabic, and rock rhythms has made Shakira one of the biggest stars from Latin America. Songs such as “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Whenever, Wherever” have won her Grammy awards.
As part of the NFL’s Super Bowl championship finals in Miami in 2020, she performed with Jennifer Lopez, a performance that is usually among the most-watched halftime shows on US television.
Shakira accused of tax fraud
Just over a week ago, Spanish court documents indicated that Shakira was getting closer to facing criminal charges in Spain for tax fraud after a Barcelona court rejected the singer’s appeal.
In her case, the prosecutor is accusing her of defrauding the Spanish tax office out of 14.5 million euros ($15.5 million) on income earned between 2012 and 2014.
Her relationship with Pique became public in 2011 when she moved to Spain, but she maintained legal tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015.
Lawyers for her defence argue that she only moved to Spain full time in 2015 and that her record of tax compliance has always been impeccable in all countries where she has had to pay taxes.
In an interview with AFP in 2019, Shakira said temporarily losing her voice had been “the darkest moment of her life.” her life had been “deeply affected” by the loss.
The singer later recovered her voice naturally without undergoing surgery as recommended by doctors and performed on a world tour in 2018.
