ENTERTAINMENT
Shakira: “I found out I’d been cheated on when my father was in ICU”
The Colombian star separated from ex-Barcelona soccer player Gerard Piqué just before her father suffered a serious accident and was in poor health.
If is often said that a woman’s first love is her father and that certainly rings true for Shakira. “My mother has always been my sidekick and my father my best friend”, the singer revealed in an interview for the ‘50 más bellos’ issue of People en Español magazine, of which she was the cover star.
The Colombian star opened up about her separation from former Barcelona soccer star Gerard Piqué and the support she received from dad William Mebarak, despite his poor health: “He went to Barcelona to comfort me when I was feeling incredibly sad because of my separation and he seriously hurt himself when he was visiting for (son) Milan’s first communion”.
Shakira: “My home life was falling apart”
The incident happened in mid-2022, by which point Shakira had just split from Piqué and her father had already previously suffered a bad fall at home. “Everything came together, my home life was falling apart. I found out from the press that I had been cheated on while my dad was in ICU. I didn’t think he was going to survive that. I thought I was losing the man I love most in my life, my father, just when I need him the most. I couldn’t talk to him or get the advice from my best friend that I needed so badly,” recalled the 46-year-old.
A new life in Miami
Luckily, those darkest of days are now over and Shakira, along with her two sons, is enjoying every minute of her new life across the pond in Miami. “His recovery has been very hard and slow, but he is a wonderful man and an endearing character who always surprises us with his strength”, she continues.
“He has overcome COVID, two accidents, pneumonia, five operations... All this at 91 years of age and in less than six months. My father is the shining example of resilience, and my mother has been by his side day and night”.
Shakira hoped to relive parents’ dream marriage
Shakira’s dream when she became a mother was to be as happy with Piqué as she her parents had been throughout their marriage. “They have had the dream marriage that I wasn’t able to, but I hope they will be role models for my children in terms of love, patience, total dedication to one another and desire to live”.
“Music saved my life”
The singer’s parents have played a huge role in helping over get over the split, as have her children and music. “Music saved my life and gave me wings to fly. It allowed me to be myself, rescued me in my most difficult moments. When I couldn’t recognise myself, music was my mirror”.