Shakira has opened up about her split from ex Gerard Pique, revealing it was the "darkest period of her life".
The singer confessed she put her music career "on hold" to support Gerard's footballing dreams. They met when the sportsman starred in her 2010 World Cup single 'Waka Waka' video and started dating later that year.
Together they welcomed two children before their bitter break up and custody battle erupted. She confessed. "For a long time I put my career on hold, to be next to Gerard, so he could play football."
Shakira shared with The Times, "There was a lot of sacrifice for love." She had suspected the footballer was cheating when she noticed strawberry jam in her cupboard – a food item neither she nor her kids liked.
Following the separation, Gerard romantically moved on with Clara Chia, 23. Shakira waved goodbye to Spain and started a new chapter in Miami, far from her former love. She's been using her music to share her feelings about Gerard.
In her new song Empty Cup, she seems to talk about him with the lyrics: "You are always busy with so much business. It would be nice, my love, a little leisure. Relax here on the sofa and give me your attention. The phone rings, use your hand with me I know you're hot, but I'm much hotter."
Then, in Shakira Bzrp Music Sessions 53, she doesn't hide that she's singing about her ex and his young new girlfriend, saying: "I'm worth two 22's. You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo. You traded a Rolex for a Casio."
Gerard even seemed to get a boost from Shakira's fiery songs because Casio decided to sponsor his Kings League. He joked about it during a Kings League livestream, telling everyone: "We have an agreement with Casio."
In her music video El Jefe, Shakira included Lili Melgar, the nanny who was allegedly let go without pay by Gerard. Lili not only shows up in the video but also gets a shout-out in the song, as Shakira sings: "Lili Melgar. This song is for you, they didn't compensate you."
It's said that Lili lost her job without any money after she told Shakira about Gerard's supposed cheating. After a long custody battle over their kids and their $15million Barcelona mansion, Shakira won primary custody of their sons.
Lawyers from both sides spent 12 hours in a meeting trying to sort things out, with the pair not actually meeting during the process. They finally reached a settlement which included selling their home in Barcelona.
