Gerard Piqué has broken his silence on his split from Shakira, and people aren’t particularly pleased with his comments.
For context, in June last year, Shakira and Gerard issued a statement announcing that they were breaking up after 11 years together.
“We regret to confirm that we are separating,” they said, asking fans to respect their privacy in the best interests of their two children, Milan, 10, and Sasha, 7.
The announcement didn’t indicate the reason for the split, although it soon became obvious that Shakira was finding the breakup particularly difficult, telling Elle magazine three months later that the details were “really hard to talk about.”
“This is really hard to talk about personally...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,” she told the outlet at the time.
Shakira’s comments fuelled speculation that the relationship had ended due to cheating, with rumors already circulating that Gerard had been romantically involved with model Bar Refaeli while he and Shakira were still together.
Neither Gerard nor Shakira directly confirmed these reports. However, Shakira hasn’t shied away from referencing the alleged infidelity in her songs — first in “Te Felicito (I Congratulate You),” which was released nearly a year ago, around the time that the cheating rumors first surfaced.
“To make you whole / I broke myself in pieces / I was warned, but I didn't take heed / Don't tell me you're sorry / I know you well and I know you’re lying,” she sings in Spanish on the track.
When asked if the lyrics were in reference to her personal situation, Shakira later responded: “I can only say that either consciously or subconsciously, everything I feel, everything I go through is reflected in the lyrics I write, in the videos I make.”
More recently, Shakira dropped the song “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” which attracted a lot of attention for its scathing lyrics, which seemed to provide even more insight into her split from Gerard.
“You thought you hurt me, but you made me stronger / Women don’t cry anymore, they cash in,” the English translation of the lyrics read.
“I’ve outgrown you and that's why you're with a girl just like you,” Shakira sings, evidently throwing shade at Gerard’s new partner, Chia Martí, whom he was first linked with in late August last year. “A she-wolf like me ain't for a rookie,” she adds, which is an obvious reference to her 2009 hit “She Wolf.”
“From love to hate, there's only one step / This way don't come back, listen to me,” she continues. “No hard feelings baby, I wish you the best with my supposed replacement.”
Soon after the song was released in January, Gerard seemed to subtly respond by tweeting some pointed clown and circus-related emojis.
🎪🎠🤡🎡
A couple of weeks later, as the song continued making headlines, the former soccer star also posted a captionless selfie with his new girlfriend, marking the first time that Shakira’s alleged “replacement” had been seen on his Instagram page.
But now, 10 months since their split was announced, Gerard is talking about the demise of their relationship more explicitly — and it sounds a lot like he has no regrets.
In an interview with El Pais, which has been translated into English, the 36-year-old started by addressing why he’d chosen to stay silent on their breakup until now, saying that “everyone has their responsibility to try to do what is best for their children.”
“It is about protecting them,” he continued. “That is the job of all parents with children. That is what I am focused on and that is my job as a father.”
In the aftermath of the split, Gerard emphasized that he’s “very happy” and intends to “keep doing what I want.”
“The day I die, I will look back and hope I have always done what I wanted,” he said. “I want to be faithful to myself.”
Despite not explicitly commenting on his faithfulness to Shakira, Gerard did allude to the negative press he’s faced since the split, saying: “I’m not going to spend money cleaning up my image.”
“The people that I love and care about are the ones who know me. The rest isn't important to me. I spend my energy on being with my loved ones and giving them what I have,” he said. “I'm very happy. There have been changes in my life and I have known how to preserve happiness.”
Now, as I’m sure you might be anticipating, the quotes quickly garnered a lot of attention online, and fans couldn’t help but express outrage over Gerard’s decision to wax lyrical about being “faithful” to himself in the wake of widespread cheating allegations.
“‘I wanted to be faithful to myself’ is some insane line after being caught cheating,” one person tweeted.
@PopCrave “I wanted to be faithful to myself” is some insane line after being caught cheating 😂
“this is the craziest thing to say after cheating,” added someone else, while others described the quotes as “low.”
this is the craziest thing to say after cheating https://t.co/IV3ZI6ZxAv
“One of the most Narcissistic statements ever put forth by man,” added another.
@PopCrave One of the most Narcissistic statements ever put forth by man
Many interpreted that the underlying message of the interview was Gerard attempting to justify his behavior in the relationship — whatever “behavior” that may have been — under the guise of self-empowerment and putting himself first, which many felt was incredibly tasteless and selfish.
“I’ve heard a lot of people try to justify cheating…but this…this is a new one,” someone wrote in response.
@PopCrave I’ve heard a lot of people try to justify cheating…but this…this is a new one 🙃
“Translation: I’m a selfish man. I don’t care who I hurt along the way,” someone else echoed, while another suggested that his self-serving outlook might actually have been one of the fundamental issues in his relationship with Shakira.
@PopCrave Translation: I’m a selfish man. I don’t care who I hurt along the way.
@PopCrave we know. that’s the issue. so glad shakira is free from ~this~
Elsewhere, it seems like Shakira is living her best life and enjoying the success of “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” which has gone on to break records and become one of her biggest hits yet.
Earlier this month, she performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and the performance wound up going viral for how intensely the audience members were singing the lyrics with her.
Not only was Shakira fucking amazing (as usual) but the audience has me speechless. I’ve never seen the Fallon crowd this active
In fact, the clip gained so much attention that Adele caught wind of the discussion and talked about it onstage during her Las Vegas residency the following weekend.
“I saw her performance last night on Jimmy Fallon,” Adele told the audience. “Oh, her ex-husband's in trouble.”
