Inside Shakira’s rollercoaster love life before Pique – from 16-year age gap romance to ex lover who SUED her for $100m
SHE’S one of the most beautiful popstars in the world, so when news broke of Shakira’s split with husband Gerard Pique, fans were stunned.
Before their split, the golden couple had appeared to have it all – love, successful careers, kids, and a £350million fortune – but rumours have since swirled that the footballer was caught cheating.
Now, not only is the mum-of-two newly single, she is also facing the prospect of eight years in jail over an alleged multi-million pound tax fraud.
Spanish prosecutors are pushing for the highest-possible sentence over six separate counts of tax fraud totalling £12.2million, which she denies.
Shakira has always been fiercely private about her love life, but it’s not the first time the singer, 45, has experienced heartache.
Here, we take a look at the star’s past romances, from age gap love to a bitter court battle.
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Osvaldo Rios
Shakira reportedly dated Puerto Rican TV star and musician Osvaldo Rios – who is 16 years her senior – in 1997.
While both he and Shakira have always remained tight-lipped over the romance, the now 61-year-old has been wed three times, and has three sons.
Before she rose to fame, the Colombian also reportedly had two young loves: her childhood neighbour, Oscar Pardo, and Oscar Ulloa.
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While neither are confirmed it has been claimed that Ulloa, who she was linked to as a teen, drove her to write her hit Anthology, in which she says she was inspired to “[write] more than a hundred songs”.
Antonio De La Rua
Before shacking up with Gerard, Grammy Award winner Shakira was in a 10-year romance with Antonio de la Rua.
The pair started dating in 2000, a year before Shakira’s huge hit single Whenever, Wherever was released.
In January 2011, she announced in a since-deleted message on her website that they had split.
The Hips Don’t Lie hit maker stated it was a “mutual decision to take some time apart”.
She added they “view[ed] this period of separation as temporary and as a time of individual growth as we continue to be partners in our business and professional lives.”
However, they later went their separate ways professionally too following a dramatic legal dispute.
In 2013, Argentinian lawyer Antonio lost his court case to receive $100million, which he claimed he was owed by the singer for being instrumental in her rise to global fame.
Gerard Pique
Shakira began dating Barcelona star Gerard in 2011. They first caught each other’s eye the previous year, when the handsome defender appeared alongside the singer in the video for her World Cup single ‘Waka Waka’.
In 2013, they welcomed their first son, Milan, who was born in Barcelona.
Another boy, Sasha, followed two years later, as the pair built their family.
However, they never walked down the aisle – with Shakira admitting in a 2020 interview on US TV show 60 Minutes, “To tell you the truth, marriage scares the s*** out of me.
“I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend.”
“His lover, his girlfriend. It’s like a little forbidden fruit, you know?”
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Now, despite rumours linking Shakira to actor Chris Evans, she appears to be single, after announcing their split in a statement saying: “We regret to confirm that we are parting ways.
“For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy.”
