Inside Shakira and Gerard Pique’s relationship as he moves on with 23-year-old Clara Chia Marti-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro

Shakira and Gerard met in 2010, one year before they started dating.

They met on the set for Shakira’s iconic Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) music video and the singer later recalled finding him ‘cute’ when watching the video back.

The pair chatted for a while before meeting up when Shakira performed at the World Cup. However, they kept their romance on the down low for a while before finally going public in 2011.

Shakira shared a sweet selfie, then they were spotted kissing at number of times out and about, including at football games.

Shakira and Gerard made their red carpet debut in January 2012 at the FIFA Ballon D’Or Awards in Zurich, Switzerland.

Shakira fawned over her new beau in an interview with Elle in 2013, explaining that he helped to restore her faith.

‘I think, if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love’, she said.

‘I even had lost my faith for a while. I was becoming as agnostic. And it was really hard, because I was always very religious, and for a few years, maybe because – it sounds so corny – I was not feeling the love like it was supposed to be, I started to think that there was no God. And suddenly I meet Gerard and the sun comes out.’

Shakira announced that she was pregnant with her first child in November 2013.

She wrote on her website: ‘As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby! At the time we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives.’

Shakira gave birth to the couple’s first child in January 2013, a baby boy named Milan Piqué Mebarak.

On her blog, Shakira shared that his name meant ‘dear, loving, and gracious’ in Slavic.

Despite being extremely in love and happy in their relationship, Shakira and Gerard were in no rush to walk down the aisle.

She told Glamour: ‘We already have what’s essential, you know? We have a union, a love for each other, and a baby.

‘I think that those aspects of our relationship are already established, and marriage is not going to change them. But if I’m ever going to get married, he’s the one.’ 

The pair welcomed their second child in January 2015, another son named Sasha Piqué Mebarak.

Shakira wrote on Instagram at the time: ‘The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means “defender of mankind” and “warrior”.’

Doing what she does best, Shakira penned a special song for her partner in 2017, titled Gerard called Me Enamoré.

The title translates to I Fell in Love and contains lyrics like: ‘My life began to change the night I met you’.

Shakira got frank about still not feeling ready for marriage again in 2020 in a chat with 60 Minutes.

‘I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend’, she shared after now a decade together.

Sharing further insight into their home life, last year Shakira shared that she and Gerard have very different styles of parenting.

She told Cosmo that they are ‘complete opposites’ with their two kids: ‘I think asking questions is the most ingenious way to discover the truth — if there is any truth to things. There can be many truths, like two sides of a coin. I often try to apply that to the upbringing of my kids.’

She added: ‘I torture my poor husband. Well, he’s not really my – I don’t know what to call him! He’s my baby daddy. I torture him about every issue I see with my kids.’

In June 2022 there were rumours that Gerard had been having an affair, but the couple never commented publicly on the allegations.

Days after rumours started swirling, Shakira and Gerard confirmed that they had parted ways.

They said in a joint statement: ‘We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy.’