\n<\/p>\n
The way it was. Shakira<\/strong><\/a> and soccer player Gerard Piqu\u00e9<\/strong><\/a> were together for 12 years before announcing their eventual breakup<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c[Gerard is] with me because he wants to be with Shakira the person, not the celebrity,\u201d Shakira, who was first linked to the professional athlete in 2011, previously told\u00a0Latina<\/i>\u00a0magazine\u00a0in 2014<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s real love, there\u2019s no ulterior motives. And I\u2019m with him because he\u2019s the most amazing man I\u2019ve ever met. We want the same things, we like the same things, we hate the same things. I have never been with someone so passionate in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n The twosome, who kept their romance relatively private through the years,\u00a0expanded their brood when they welcomed sons Milan and Sasha<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in January 2013 and January 2015, respectively. Their relationship later made headlines in June 2022 after\u00a0reports surfaced that the musician caught her then-beau having an affair<\/span><\/a>. While the pair did not address the allegations, they\u00a0confirmed their split<\/span><\/a>\u00a0several days later.<\/p>\n \u201cWe regret to confirm that we are separating,\u201d\u00a0the now-exes\u00a0wrote in a joint statement at the time<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u201cFor the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n