Singer Shakira and footballer Gerad Pique announce separation
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Madrid: After 12 years of being together, Colombian singer and Barcelona football player Gerad Pique announced their separation on Saturday, Agence France-Presse reported. There were reports that Shakira caught Pique cheating on her.
In a statement, the couple said that they regret that they were separating and added that for the well being of their children, who are their top priority, they request their privacy.
The couple has two sons and is living on the outskirts of Barcelona.
The singer, aged 45 and known for her numbers "Hips don't Lie" and "Whenever Wherever", is among the biggest icons in the global music industry, selling more than 60 million albums.
The Spanish defender, 35-yr-old Pique, has won the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship. He is also a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona.
The couple's separation comes at a juncture when she is inching towards a trial for tax fraud in a Spanish court. She is accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office out of 14.5 million euros for her income from 2012 to 2014. According to prosecutors, she moved with Pique into Spain in 2011 but kept official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015.
She has won a grammy thrice and is known for her style of mixing Latin and Arabic rhythms with a splash of rock. Her 2020 halftime show of the NFL'sNFL's Super Bowl championship final in Miami show, partnering with Jennifer Lopez, had become one of the most-watched half-hours on US television.