Speaking to Elle magazine, singer Shakira spoke publicly for the first time about her recent separation from soccer player Gerard Piqué.
Shakira has spoken publicly for the first time about her break-up with Gerard Piqué, telling an interview with Elle magazine: “Sometimes I feel like all of this is just a bad dream.”
The singer, 45, confirmed her separation from Barcelona soccer player Piqué, 35, in June. The couple had been in a relationship for 12 years, and have two children together: Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven.
“Our break-up isn’t like a normal break-up”
“It’s very hard to talk about this, particularly as it’s the first time I’ve spoken about the situation in an interview,” Shakira told Elle. “I stayed silent and just tried to process it all. It’s tough to talk about because I’m still going through it and I’m in the public eye, and because our break-up isn’t like a normal break-up.
“So it’s been difficult not just for me, but for my kids. Incredibly difficult. I have paparazzi camped outside my house 24/7. There’s nowhere I can hide except for my own home.”
The Colombian added: “I’ve tried to shield my kids from the situation. I’ve tried to protect them, because that’s my priority in life. But then they hear things from their friends at school or they find unpleasant news stories on the internet, and it affects them, you know?”
She continued: “Sometimes I feel like all of this is just a bad dream and I’m going to wake up at some point. But no, it’s real.”
“Darkest period of my life”
Adding to the distress of her break-up from Piqué, Shakira’s 91-year-old father, William Mebarak, was left in intensive care after suffering a severe fall shortly before the separation was announced. “This has probably been the darkest period of my life,” declared the three-time Grammy winner, who is also facing accusations of tax evasion.
On tax evasion allegations: “I don’t owe them anything”
Discussing the allegations levelled at her by Spain’s tax authorities, who are seeking an eight-year prison term and a fine of €23 million ($22.7 million), she told Elle: “I paid everything they said I owed, even before they filed a complaint against me. So I don’t owe them anything.”
She concluded: “I’m confident that I did everything correctly and transparently from day one.”
