A Timeline Of Shakira And Gerard Piqué’s Relationship: From “Waka Waka” To The Jam Mishap
Shakira and Gerard Pique's relationship captured the hearts of fans worldwide during their eleven years together. From the moment they first met, the Colombian singer and Spanish footballer had been the epitome of a fairytale romance right up until their split, which may have involved a secret ingredient: jam.
Follow along with all of their ups and downs with the complete timeline of their relationship.
Who are Shakira and Gerard Piqué?
Shakira is a Colombian singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She is one of the most successful Latin American artists of all time, with a string of hit songs and albums to her name.
Gerard Pique is a former Spanish professional footballer. He was widely regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, known for his aerial ability, strength, and ball-playing skills.
Shakira and Gerard met in June of 2010.
In 2010, Shakira released "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" as the official song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa.
Gerard, who played for FC Barcelona at the time, made a cameo appearance in the music video for the song, where he caught her eye.
Shakira revealed she didn't know who he was at the time.
"I wasn't a soccer fan, so I didn't know who he was," Shakira told 60 Minutes in an interview in 2020. "I was like, 'Hmm, that one's kind of cute.'"
Gerard said that he texted her afterward and asked her about the weather, which was what started their whirlwind love affair.
Public Relationship Confirmation: March 2011
Shakira was the one who revealed that the two were dating in a social media post on Twitter and on Facebook. The post contained a picture of Gerard hugging her from behind, with the caption "Les presento a mi sol," which translates to, "I present to you my sun."
Talk about romance.
In May of that year, they shared a kiss onstage.
Shakira was in Barcelona for her "The Sun Comes Out" World Tour, and Gerard and a few of his Barcelona teammates came out on the stage to join her, where Shakira and Gerard shared a sweet little kiss on stage.
This was their first (but not their last) public display of affection!
In January of 2012, they made their first red carpet appearance.
Shakira and Gerard walked the red carpet at the 2011 FIFA Balloon d'Or Awards, which is a ceremony that honors the year's best men's football player as voted on by team coaches and captains.
The winner that year was Gerard's teammate, Lionel Messi, so it was a happy night for them!
In September of 2012, the couple shared some exciting news.
After pulling out from a scheduled appearance at the 2012 iHeartRadio Music Festival, Shakira confirmed that she and Gerard were expecting their first child!
"As some of you may know, Gerard and I are very happy awaiting the arrival of our first baby!" she shared on her website at the time.
Shakira and Gerard focused on their upcoming baby.
"At this time, we have decided to give priority to this unique moment in our lives and postpone all the promotional activities planned over the next few days," her statement continued.
"This means I will not be able to be a part of the iHeartRadio Music Festival. I'd like to thank Clear Channel and my fans for their constant love and understanding. Big kiss!"
On January 22nd, 2013, Shakira and Gerard's son was born.
Milan Piqué Mebarak was born on January 22nd at 9:36 pm in Barcelona, Spain, weighing in at 6lbs., 6 oz. Shakira explained the unique baby name in a post on her website.
"The name Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving, and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification. Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth."
Gerard and Shakira shared equal caretaker responsibility
"Thank God [Milan's] father has been really involved," Shakira told People of the challenges of motherhood in April of 2013.
"He's been amazing. The baby spends as much time with me as he does with his dad. He's the kind of dad who is full hands-on. He changes diapers; he enjoys bathing him. That's a real help for me."
August 2014: they announced they're pregnant again!
When Milan was only 20 months old, the couple revealed that he was going to be a big brother!
"Yes, we are expecting our second baby!! Thank you for all your well wishes!" Shakira shared on her Facebook page to confirm the big news. Fans were overjoyed for the couple.
On January 29th, 2015 their second child was born.
Their second baby was born only a week after Milan's second birthday! That must make planning birthday parties easier.
The couple shared the meaning behind their second son's name, Sasha. "The name Sasha is of Greek and Russian descent and means' defender of mankind' and 'warrior,'" the baby's birth announcement read.
In January 2018, the couple sang a love song together.
Shakira won the 2018 Best Latin Pop Album at the Grammy awards, and while she couldn't make it to the ceremony, the two shared their excitement with a video.
The video showed the couple bouncing on trampolines together while singing along to her song "Me Enamoré," which is about their love story.
In August of 2018, Gerard announced his retirement.
"Love, finished the stage that we will always keep in our hearts," Shakira shared in Spanish on her Instagram page in tribute to Gerard's career.
"One of the happiest moments of my life has also been seeing you win in 2010 with the national team and celebrate with Spain champions!" she wrote.
In November 2019, Shakira opened up about health struggles.
Shakira discussed the effect that hemorrhaging her right vocal cord in 2017 had on the couple's relationship with The Guardian. "He jokes that you would think you would want your wife to shut up," she said.
"But when I had to remain quiet, he felt like one of those ex-convicts who are given their freedom and don't know what to do with it," she said. She also added, "Gerard saw the worst of me."
In January 2020, Shakira explained why the couple hadn't married.
"To tell you the truth, marriage scares the [expletive] out of me. I don't want him to see me as the wife. I'd rather him see me as his girlfriend," Shakira explained to 60 Minutes.
"His lover, his girlfriend. It's like a little forbidden fruit, you know? I wanna keep him on his toes," she went on. "I want him to think that anything's possible depending on behavior."
February 2020: what the two fight about.
On an episode of the Planet Weirdo With Holly H podcast, Shakira explained that she and Gerard struggled the most with their different senses of timing and punctuality.
"My poor husband, slash boyfriend, slash baby daddy, whatever you want to call him, he has to wait up for me so long. He's tired of waiting up," she said.
"Colombian time is not the same as Catalonian time..."
Shakira said that because Gerard is an athlete, he's a lot more used to a strict schedule.
"His mind is structured like that, and mine..." Shakira said. "I've become a lot more punctual since I met him. The times that we actually fight is because I'm late, and he's waiting up."
June 4th, 2022: Shakira and Gerard announced their separation.
"We regret to confirm that we are separating," the statement read. "We ask for privacy at this moment for the well-being of our children, who are our maximum priority. Thank you in advance for your understanding and respect."
This news was pretty shocking to fans of the couple, and many hoped for a reconciliation.
In September of 2022, Shakira opened up about the split.
Speaking to Elle magazine, Shakira said that the split was "the darkest hours of my life."
"I've remained quiet and just tried to process it all," she told the publication. "It's hard to talk about it, especially because I'm still going through it and because I'm in the public eye."
"I've tried to conceal the situation in front of my kids."
"I try to do it and to protect them, because that's my number one mission in life," Shakira said of keeping the situation separate from their kids.
"But then they hear things in school from their friends or they come across some disagreeable, unpleasant news online, and it just affects them, you know?"
In October 2022, Shakira released her first song referencing the split.
Shakira's first song to seemingly reference the breakup was titled Monotonía, which translates to monotony, or boredom due to lack of variety and interest.
In the music video, Shakira is seen being shot, leaving a large hole in her chest, and then walking around holding onto her own heart in her hands.
In November 2022, the couple reached a custody agreement.
In a joint statement made to People, the couple explained that "Our sole objective is to provide our children with the utmost security and protection and hope that they can continue with their lives in a safe and calm environment."
"We appreciate that their privacy will be respected," they said.
On January 12th, 2023, Shakira released a new song.
The song, "BZRP Music Session #53," immediately went viral for the brutal honesty in the lyrics, many of which seemed to be directly addressing rumors that Gerard was now dating a 23-year-old.
"I wish you luck with my supposed replacement / I don't even know what happened to you," the translated lyrics read.
Fans felt it was pretty clear what Shakira was singing about.
"I'm worth two of 22 [year old] / You traded a Ferrari for a Twingo / You traded a Rolex for a Casio / You're going fast, slow down / Lots of time at the gym, but your brain needs a little work too," more of the translated lyrics proclaimed.
Fans were certain the lyrics were a deep dive into why the couple actually split.
Following the release of the single, rumors began to swirl.
A rumor began that Shakira had discovered Gerard had been cheating on her through a very unsuspecting source: jam.
According to the rumor, Gerard had cheated on Shakira, which she discovered by looking in the fridge and discovering that someone had been eating the strawberry jam that she had saved.
Allegedly, Shakira knew that Gerard and her kids both hate jam.
This meant that the only way some could have been eaten as if someone else had been in the house — namely, another woman.
This theory went viral, with fans making tweets and TikToks about how Shakira might have used jam to catch her husband in a sticky situation of his own.
Imagery from a music video snippet seemed to reference this theory.
In the music video for a new song, "Te Felicito," a scene is included where Shakira opens up a fridge door to see the head of her collaborator Rauw Alejandro sitting on the shelf.
Many fans are taking this as a reference to Shakira finding the eaten jam in her fridge.
On January 25th, 2023, Gerard confirmed a new relationship.
Gerard shared a new photo to his Instagram of himself with his new girlfriend, 23-year-old marketer Clara Chia Marti.
This post caused quite a stir with fans, who took to the comments to express how they felt and also to make a few jokes related to the infamous jam incident.
"What's her favorite flavor of jam?" one commenter asked.
"Attention Women! If your boyfriend liked this post... block him!" another commenter wrote underneath the selfie, along with a few laughing emojis.
Shakira hasn't publicly commented outside of her music on the jam story or on Gerard's new relationship, but something tells us this isn't the end of this dramatic timeline!
