Shakira Says She Put Her Career On Hold For Ex Gerard Pique: "A Lot Of Sacrifice"

Colombian superstar Shakira and Barcelona defender Gerard Pique announced their separation in 2022 after being together for more than a decade. Now, in an interview, the 47-year-old singer opened up about her life with the footballer and how she put her career "on hold" for him, as per a report in People Magazine.

"For a long time I put my career on hold, to be next to Gerard, so he could play football," Shakira told The Sunday Times. The "Hips Don't Lie" singer said that there was "a lot of sacrifice for love."

The couple announced their separation in June 2022 by sharing a statement on Instagram, which read, "We regret to confirm that we are separating. 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." They share two sons, Milan and Sasha. 

In an interview with Elle Magazine in September 2022, Shakira said, "I've remained quiet and just tried to process it all. Um, 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. And so it's been tough not only for me but also for my kids. Incredibly difficult."

In 2023, the former Spanish footballer spoke up about his separation from Shakira and discussed how it has affected his children. During an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais, he underlined the reasons why he didn't address it in public after the duo made the split official in June 2022. "Everyone has their responsibility to try to do what is best for their children. It is about protecting them. That is the job of all parents with children. That is what I am focused on and that is my job as a father," he said, according to English translation carried by E! News.

Mr Pique continued, "I keep doing what I want. The day I die, I will look back and hope I have always done what I wanted. I want to be faithful to myself. I'm not going to spend money cleaning up my image."