Shakira’s Family Update: “I’m like any other mother. If I have to sell stuff at the school fair, I do it too,” Shakira told Hello Magazine back in 2019.
It has been a very difficult time for the Colombian singer and her family since then. After fighting the Spanish tax authorities, who claimed she owed 14.5 million euros in unpaid income tax between 2012 and 2014, she settled for a 7.3 million euro fine plus a 438,000 euro waiver in order to avoid a three-year suspended prison sentence.
During her battle with the taxman, she learned that her 11-year partner, FC Barcelona centre-back Gerard Piqué, had been having an affair behind her back with a younger woman, another sucker punch to her personal life. A divorce agreement was issued in June 2022 between Shakira and Piqué, parents of two boys Milan and Sasha.
“¿Quién nos tiene que decir a nosotros cómo secarnos las lágrimas y cómo sanar?” 🎙️ @SHAKIRA se sincera con @Crisregatero en la presentación de su nuevo álbum ‘LAS MUJERES YA NO LLORAN’ 💜
📲Muy pronto la ENTREVISTA COMPLETA en https://t.co/AW1KmRgCUB pic.twitter.com/ojO5hHkjNu
— LOS40 (@Los40) March 23, 2024
In the end, the former couple reached an agreement regarding child support, living arrangements, and holiday plans after several months of legal disputes. Although Milan and Sasha were supposed to live with their mother in Miami, there were still lingering disagreements.
It is stated in the agreement that the Colombian singer will take care of their education, healthcare, and day-to-day living and care needs while the children live in the United States. As a result, Piqué will be able to visit his children every ten days and will be given priority for upcoming vacations.
"I had to pick up the pieces of myself and put them all back together and music was the glue."@shakira sits down with @zanelowe in Miami to discuss her new album, 'Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.' https://t.co/HdSdMDoBKR pic.twitter.com/B28Zmva8Gq
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) March 20, 2024
Taking her two kids with her to Florida to be near their maternal grandparents, the Hips Don’t Lie singer moved from Barcelona to Miami last April. As per the terms of the parent’s custody agreement, Piqué spent a maximum of 10 days with his children later that month.
Luego de 11 años de relación y dos hijos, Shakira y Gerard Piqué pusieron fin a su romance en julio de 2022 debido a una infidelidad del exfutbolista, desde entonces Shakira, Milán y Sasha viven en Miami…https://t.co/BcgiXZINvb
— Revista Cosmopolitan (@cosmopolitanmx) March 22, 2024
Both parents’ lawyers discussed and drew up an economic plan to structure their kids’ extracurricular activities. “Basically, what activities the kids would do, who would pay, and how they would be paid,” a source explained.
The parents issued a joint statement urging the media to respect their children’s privacy and allow them to live normal lives. Shakira explained that, “For our children, which are our highest priority, we request that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding.”
In Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday 22 January 2013, Shakira and Piqué welcomed their first child, Milan Piqué Mebarak, at 9:36 p.m. He weighed 6 pounds and 6 ounces at birth. He explained: “The name Milan (pronounced MEEE-lahn) means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; eager and laborious in Ancient Roman; and unification in Sanskrit.” The name Mebarak derives from the Arabic word mubarak, which means blessed.
The couple’s second child Sasha Piqué Mebarak was born almost exactly two years later. He was delivered at a hospital in Barcelona at 9:54 p.m. local time on Thursday 29 January 2015. According to the mother, Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent. Her name means “defender of mankind” and “warrior.” Both Milan and Sasha were registered as Barcelona club members the day after they were born – Milan is No.171,751 and Sasha, No.155,629.
Shakira and Piqué have been UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors since 2003. Following the births of both of their sons, they held virtual world baby showers, which raised £101,000 for less privileged children around the world. Following the 2015 event, the singer wrote, “We raised enough polio vaccines to vaccinate 40,000 children and enough therapeutic food packets to feed another 15,000 children in need.”
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