Shakira Reveals How Her Kids Coped With ‘the Media Situation’ Around Her Split

Breakups are always hard — especially when media and children are involved. Shakira opened up about how her split from professional footballer Gerard Piqué has affected the former couple’s two sons, nine-year-old Milan and seven-year-old Sasha.

“They’re doing very well,” she told Billboard in her recent cover story. “They love it. In Barcelona, they carried the weight of being ‘the children of…,’ and the media situation was hard on them. We had paparazzi at our doorstep every single day. Here, they’re normal children who enjoy normalcy, which is what school should be: a safe haven where they can be themselves. And because they’re sociable and pretty open, it was easy for them to adapt.”

The former pair announced their split in June 2022 through a joint statement. “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect our privacy,” the statement read. Shakira and Piqué were together for 11 years.

Over the past year, many rumors around the end of the pair’s relationship have made the rounds — from cheating allegations to a jar of strawberry jam. Shakira has since turned the pain into music, taking hard-hitting aim at Piqué on her Bizarrap collab “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” which rocketed to No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and ultimately broke 14 Guinness World Records. “The last time I released an album was six years ago,” she tells Billboard. “Now I can release music at a faster clip, although sometimes I think being a single mom and the rhythm of a pop star aren’t compatible. I have to put my kids to bed, go to the recording studio; everything is uphill. When you don’t have a husband who can stay home with the kids, it’s constant juggling because I like to be a present mom and I need to be there every moment with my children: take them to school, have breakfast with them, take them to play dates. And aside from that, I have to make money.”