Shakira Is Being Open About Her Failed Relationship With Her Ex Gerard Piqueand the sacrifices she made to try to keep her family together.
The famous Colombian singer recently spoke with The Times UKin a profile piece published on Saturday, in which she reflected on how she put her career and passions on the back burner to support Piqué and his career as a professional footballer.
“For a long time I put my career on hold, to be by Gerard’s side, so he could play football,” said Shakira, 47. “There was a lot of sacrifice for love.”
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer and the now-retired Spanish soccer star met in 2010 on the set of the music video for her song “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”
The pair confirmed their romance in March 2021 and welcomed their first child in 2013. Shakira and Piqué – who share children Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8 – broke up ending their relationship after 11 years in June 2020.
In early 2023, she moved from Barcelona, Spainfor Miami, Floridaand has explained in the past how this move has benefited his career, allowing him to connect with other artists and collaborate on new music more efficiently and quickly.
Apparently, it also allowed Shakira to build a friendship with Victoria Beckham and the pair bonded through their experiences as pop stars, forming relationships with football stars – as Victoria has been married to sporting legend David Beckham since 1999.
“I’ve spoken to Victoria a few times since I arrived,” Shakira told The Times UK. “We’re always talking about when I’m going to watch a game and I know Milan wants it. We haven’t been able to meet yet, but we are on WhatsApp.”
In Shakira’s opinion, there is a certain fundamental difference between artists and athletes that often makes them incompatible – with rare exceptions like the Beckhams.
“Empathy is fundamental in an artist’s work. An athlete is in a constant state of war and has to avoid empathy at all costs,” said Shakira. “That’s why it’s probably a bad idea for an artist to hook up with an athlete.”
Shakira spoke to billboard in September 2023, and explained that his career was his “third priority” while living in Europe, as he had “dedicated” his life to taking care of his children and partner.
Now residing full-time in the US, Shakira’s access to collaborators and professional resources is more within her reach.
“Now I can release music at a faster pace, although sometimes I feel like being a single mother and the pace of a pop star aren’t compatible,” she told Billboard. “I have to put my children to bed, go to the recording studio; everything is difficult. When you don’t have a husband who can stay home with the children, it’s a constant juggling act because I like being a present mother and I need to be present all the time everything with my children: taking them to school, having breakfast with them, taking them to play. And on top of that, I have to earn money.”
However, her children also had the chance to support their mother during some of her biggest career moments. The boys were next to mother at last year’s VMAs as she prepared to take the stage to perform some of her biggest hits and be honored with the Vanguard Award.
“They are so loving and caring and they inspire me to be better, to be a better person just for them,” Shakira marveled at her children in a behind-the-scenes interview with ET. “They are the most amazing thing in my life. They are everything to me.”
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