Shakira and soccer player Gerard Piqué are having one messy breakup and it’s partly related to a jar of strawberry jam.
The Colombian singer and Piqué were together for 11 years before calling it quits last year. They met back in 2010 while on the set of Shakira’s music video “Waka Waka.” At the time, Shakira’s eyes lit up as she found herself attracted to the former center-back. After going social media official in March 2011, the couple welcomed their first child together, a boy named Milan soon after. From the outside looking in, things seemed to be going great between the couple. However, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer began giving hints last year that things weren’t as peachy as they seemed.
In June 2022, the couple, who now have a total of two sons together, announced their split in a joint statement. And while fans of the former couple tried putting the pieces together, Shakira seemingly gave hints about their breakup in two songs that dropped in early 2023. There was a story alleging that Shakira grew suspicious that Piqué was being unfaithful after someone ate her strawberry jam while she was away on the road.
From how they met to the fallout of their relationship and now Piqué going Instagram official with a new woman, here’s everything you need to know about the former couple.
How Shakira and Piqué met
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When: 2010
Shakira and Piqué met on the set of her music video for “Waka Waka.” The track was the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and featured many soccer stars, including Piqué. During an interview in 2020 on CBS’ 60 Minutes, the singer recalled being attracted to the soccer star. “When I saw the video, I was like, ‘Hmm, that one's kind of cute.’ And then someone decided to introduce us,” she recalled.
One year later, there was no stopping their romance. The couple made things social media official in March 2011. She shared a photo of the two of them together at the time. “Les presento a mi sol…” she wrote in the caption, which translates to: “I present to you my sun.” The following year, the two made their red carpet debut as a couple to attend the Fifa Ballon d'Or Gala in Zurich, Switzerland.
Shakira and Pique welcomed their first child
Shakira says she doesn’t believe in marriage
Shakira opens up about the difficulties in her relationship
Shakira and Piqué announce split
Shakira opens up about their breakup in an interview
Subtlety is out the window in the new Shakira songs
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When: October 2022
On the musical side of things, the approach appeared to be far more direct. In October, Shakira dropped her single “Monotonía,” and sang about the fallout of a perfect relationship. In the video, the singer’s co-star rocked a white hoodie and gray joggers—an outfit similar to one Piqué has worn in Shakira’s 2017 video “Me Enamoré.” The track, which means “Monotony,” featuring Ozuna, marked the first Shakira song to be released after the public split announcement. While the bulk of the lyrics were not penned by the singer, fans were quick to point to a number of lyrical excerpts as having (at the very least) taken on a decidedly new meaning in light of the uncoupling.
She also took another jab at her ex in January with her appearance on producer Bizarrap’s swiftly viral “BZRP Music Sessions #53.” While the number of timely lyrical passages here are arguably too numerous to list in full, a key highlight (and one that was widely discussed among fans) was the well-placed pauses in the delivery of the words “Claramente” (calling to mind Piqué’s new girlfriend, Clara) and “Salpique” (calling to mind Piqué himself).
Shakira and Piqué agree on custody for their kids
When: January 2023
The New York Post reported that Shakira has been keeping a mannequin resembling a witch on the balcony of her Spain home. The doll faces the direction of her neighbor, who happens to be her former mother-in-law. Shakira also sang about her former in-law in “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” singing, “You left my mother-in-law as a neighbor, with the press at the door and the Treasury debt.” According to The Sun, Piqué’s parents are considering moving to avoid Shakira’s drama.
Since news broke about Piqué and Shakira’s split, TikTok has been having a field day. Fans have also been sharing resurfaced old videos that seem to display tension between the singer, Piqué, and his mother. Several users have also posted videos in reference to the infamous jam jar drama. The videos also show fans putting on their best private detective hats to get to the bottom of the ambiguous situation.
As for how the jam-focused claims you also may have seen swirling around Shakira and Piqué in subsequent months, the best conclusion anyone has come to posits that they first appeared in a Show News Today piece, which itself cited a Socialite report. In short, the jam business allegedly goes as follows: Shakira returned home after a trip to the unfortunate discovery that someone had eaten some of her strawberry jam. Additionally, and just as allegedly, it’s claimed that neither Piqué nor the former couple’s children are particularly fond of such a condiment, a detail that had many fans theorizing that this (alleged!) discovery was a sign of infidelity.
When: January 2023
For many, the process of making a coupling Instagram official marks arguably the most important phase of a relationship, particularly a public-facing one. That appeared to prove true when Piqué went public on his official account with Clara Chia Marti in a post that has since garnered more than 4 million likes.
