Shakira Issues a Statement Begging For Privacy For Her Kids Amid "Difficult Year"

Last June, Shakira and Gerard Piqué officially split after 11 years together. But nearly a year after their breakup, things have got a bit messy. From rumours that a jam jar may have tipped off the "Hips Don't Lie" singer off about her partner reportedly cheating on her, to the release of her scathing breakup anthem "BZRP Music Session #53," much of the end of their relationship has played out in the public eye — including Piqué making things official with his 23-year-old girlfriend, Clara Chia Marti.

While many celebrities shy away from addressing their breakups publicly beyond the initial split announcement, Shakira has put it all out there. In a TikTok posted on Valentine's Day, she appeared to shade Piqué and Marti by lip-syncing to a verse from SZA's hit song, "Kill Bill."

@shakira

♬ Kill Bill - SZA

She also seemed to reference their split in her song with Karol G "TQG," which dropped on 24 Feb. Later, in an interview with journalist Enrique Acevedo released on 28 Feb., Shakira opened up further about the breakup. She also appeared to take aim at Marti when she said, "There's a place in hell for women who don't help other women." Meanwhile Piqué, held off on explicitly addressing the breakup publicly until 19 March in a new interview with El Pais.

Shakira and Piqué first met on the set of her "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" music video in 2010, but they didn't confirm their relationship until March 2011. Although the former couple never married, the dissolution of their relationship has been complicated due to them sharing two children: sons Milan, 10, and Sasha, 8. In their initial separation statement, Shakira and Piqué made it clear their children would remain their number one priority.

"We regret to confirm that we are separating," the couple's statement read, as reported by People. "We ask for privacy at this moment for the well-being of our children, who are our maximum priority. Thank you in advance for your understanding and respect."

Read on for a complete breakdown of everything that's happened since Shakira and Piqué ended their relationship.

1. June 2022: Shakira and Piqué announce their breakup. On 4 June, 2022, the couple announced that they'd ended their relationship in a joint statement that emphasised they were putting the well-being of their children first.
2. August 2022: Piqué is spotted with Marti for the first time. Two months after his split from Shakira, Piqué was photographed getting cosy with Marti at the Summerfest Cerdanya music festival in Spain. In photos published by the Daily Mail, Piqué can be seen kissing the 23-year-old.
3. September 2022: Shakira opens up about the split for the first time. In an interview with Elle, the singer got candid about how difficult her breakup had been for her and her children. "I've remained quiet and just tried to process it all," she said. "And yeah, it's hard to talk about it, especially because I'm still going through it, and because I'm in the public eye and because our separation is not like a regular separation." She went on to add that the situation felt "like a bad dream" sometimes.
4. October 2022: Shakira releases "Monotonía." The release of "Monotonía" brought with it speculation that Piqué may have been unfaithful. The lyrics of the song include lines like, "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't my fault / It was monotony's fault / I never said anything but it hurt / I knew this would happen." Later in the video, Shakira's heart is blasted from her chest, creating a powerful visual that many speculated was in response to her breakup with the football player.
5. November 2022: A custody agreement is reached for Shakira and Piqué's kids. On 8 Nov., 2022, the couple shared a statement with People confirming that they had reached a mutual custody agreement for their sons. "Our sole objective is to provide our children with the utmost security and protection and hope that they can continue with their lives in a safe and calm environment," it reads. "We appreciate that their privacy will be respected." A source also told People that Shakira planned to move her children from Barcelona to Miami in order to be closer to her maternal family.
6. December 2022: Shakira reportedly found out Piqué was cheating on her on account of a jam jar. During a 9 Dec., 2022, appearance on the Spanish-language show "Socialite," Shakira reportedly revealed she discovered her ex was cheating on her after returning home to discover someone had been eating her favourite strawberry jam while she was away. She claimed that neither her children nor Piqué liked the jam, which tipped her off that something was going on.
7. 1 Jan., 2023: Shakira appears to reference the breakup in an emotional New Year's post. On New Year's Day, the "Whenever, Wherever" singer seemingly referenced her split in an Instagram post that emphasised resiliency after heartbreak. "Even if our wounds are still open in this new year, time has a surgeon's hands. Even if someone's betrayed us, we must continue to trust others," she wrote. "When faced with contempt, continue to know your worth. Because there are more good people than indecent ones. More people with empathy than indifference. The ones who leave are fewer than the many who stay by our side. Our tears are not in vain, they water the soil our future will spring from and make us more human, so that even while suffering heartache we can continue to love."
8. 11 Jan., 2023: Shakira releases her breakup anthem "BZRP Music Session #53." Shakira's collaboration with Bizarrap is a searing breakup song that left no doubt the Grammy winner is singing about her dramatic split from Piqué. "You left me the in-laws as my neighbours / Media outlets at my door and in debt," she sings. "You thought you hurt me, but you made me stronger / Women don't cry anymore, they cash in." Shakira goes on to add, "I was out of your league," before seemingly referencing Marti in lines like, "I wish you good luck with my supposed replacement / I don't even know what happened to you / You are so strange that I can't even distinguish you / I'm worth two of 22 / You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo / You traded a Rolex for a Casio."
9. 13 Jan., 2023: Piqué claims Casio was sponsoring his King's League competition. During a live stream, Piqué claimed that the watch brand would be sponsoring his new project, which seemed to be in response to his ex's song.
10. 14 Jan., 2023: Casio denies Piqué's claims. After Piqué's claims circulated, Casio issued a statement on Twitter denying the supposed sponsorship. "On Friday, January 13, 2023, diverse versions on social media circulated related to a sponsorship Casio had on a project led by Gerard Piqué. This information was diffused after declarations the FC Barcelona ex-player made during a streaming service alongside other people," the statement read. "Through this statement, Casio completely denies these declarations. Up to this point, there hasn't been any agreement for this sponsorship or interest in making it happen. We publicly ask Gerard Piqué to stop using our brand without authorization and avoid making declarations that don't favour us as a way to prevent legal action."
11. 25 Jan., 2023: Piqué goes Instagram official with Marti. Shortly into the new year, Piqué made things official with Marti when he shared a cozied-up photo of the two of them on Instagram, sans caption.
12. 27 Jan., 2023: Shakira shares a cryptic post on Instagram. Two days after her ex made things Instagram official with Marti, Shakira seemingly addressed Piqué's relationship-status update with a cryptic post featuring her dancing to her song "#53" alongside the caption, "Women don't cry anymore, women dance merengue!"
13. 14 Feb., 2023: Shakira seemingly shades Piqué on TikTok. On Valentine's Day, Shakira posted a video on TikTok lip-syncing some pretty pointed lyrics from SZA's "Kill Bill." Clothed in all black and rocking high heels while pretending to mop the floor, she mouths, "I might kill my ex / Not the best idea / His new girlfriend's next, how'd I get here? / I might kill my ex / I still love him though / Rather be in jail than alone." Considering the Valentine's Day post-date, fans assume the video is a message to Piqué.
14. 24 Feb., 2023: Shakira appears to reference in "TQG" song with Karol G. In the track, the musicians sing about watching their former partner move on with someone new. "Seeing you with the new one hurt me / But I'm already set by myself," Shakira sings in Spanish. "What we lived I forgot / And that's what offended you / That even life improved me / You are no longer welcome here / I saw that your girlfriend threw at me / It doesn't make me angry, I laugh."
15. 28 Feb., 2023: Shakira seemingly calls out Marti in an interview with Mexican journalist Enrique Acevedo. While discussing her split from Piqué in the Spanish interview, Shakira appeared to take aim at her ex's partner when she said, "There is a place in hell reserved for women who don't support other women." The singer also opened up about her healing journey since her breakup, adding, "I bought that story, that a woman needed a man to complete herself. I also had that dream of a family where the children had a mum and dad under the same roof." She continued: "Now paradoxically I feel complete because I depend on myself and I have two children who depend on me and that means I have to be stronger than a lioness."
16. 19 March, 2023: Piqué addresses the split for the first time. In an interview with the Spanish publication El Pais, Piqué briefly talked about the breakup, repeating the former couple's party line that they're prioritizing their kids. "Everyone has their responsibility to do what's best for their kids," he said, according to a translation via People. "It's about protecting them. That's the job of all parents with their kids. That's what I'm focused on, and that's my role as a father." In the same interview, Piqué also made xenophobic comments about Shakira's fan base, saying, "My ex is Latin American, and you don't know what I've gotten on social media from her fans. These people have no lives. Thousands of barbarities, and I don't care at all."
17. 2 April, 2023: Shakira announces she and her kids are moving from Barcelona. In an Instagram post, the singer revealed that she was moving from the country. "I settled in Barcelona to give my children a stability which we are now looking for in another corner of the world alongside family, friends, and the sea," Shakira wrote in Spanish. "Today we begin a new chapter in pursuit of their happiness." She continued: "Thank you to everyone who surfed alongside my many waves here in Barcelona, the city where I learned that friendship is definitely more lasting than love. Thank you to everyone who has been there to cheer me up, dried my tears, inspired me and made me grow." Shakira also responded to Piqué's xenophobic comments with a tweet, writing, "Orgullosa de ser Latinoamericana."
18. 10 April, 2023: Shakira pleads for privacy for her kids amid "difficult year." The singer issued another statement on Instagram asking "friends, journalists, and media" for privacy." "At this time of changes in my life as a public figure, it is understandable that there is a permanent curiosity on the part of the press about me and my family. However, my children, Milan and Sasha have lived a very difficult year, suffering an incessant siege and relentless persecution by paparazzi and various media in Barcelona," she wrote in Spanish. "Now that they are beginning a new stage in their lives, I strongly ask the media on behalf of my children to please respect their right to privacy. I beg you to refrain from following them to the exit or entrance of the school, waiting for them at the door of our house, or chasing them to their extra-curricular and recreational activities, as has happened every day in Barcelona, in order to obtain photographic or better captures. ratings. I trust that journalists and photographers are sensitive to the situation Milan and Sasha are facing and can behave in the most humane way possible with them, taking into account that it is about the health and physical and emotional integrity of two minors under 8 and 10 years old who just want to be able to go out and attend school feeling safe and having the peace of mind of not being persecuted or subjected to the constant scrutiny of the cameras. I extend this request no longer as an artist, but as a mother who wants to protect and take care of the psychological and emotional well-being of her children so that they can live a healthy and happy life, as every child deserves."