The strawberry jam that caused Shakira and Gerard Pique's split...

On February 2, 2025, the singer Shakira, who conquered the whole world with her talent, charisma and unique style, celebrated her birthday. Her enchanting voice, plastic dances and unique harmony of Latin American, Arabic and pop motifs made the singer a symbol of modern music.

The Birth of a Star

William Mebarak Shadid was originally from Lebanon and dreamed of becoming a doctor since childhood. However, he was so prone to doubt that he could not even work as described in the textbook, because throughout his life he invented various diseases for himself and prescribed himself the medicines he needed to take to treat them.

Later, he decided to sell jewelry and opened a small store in New York, but it did not work out. The problems in his personal life completely overwhelmed him.

After the death of his first wife, who gave birth to eight children, William Mebarak moved to the Colombian city of Barranquilla, where he also opened a jewelry store. He hired a young Spanish-Italian woman named Nidia Ripoll Torrado as a saleswoman, who later married him - they had a daughter, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.

Shakira was the only child in the family, but her father had eight half-siblings from a previous marriage. She began to show her talents as a child, loved music and poetry, and dreamed of having a typewriter like her father. At the age of four, she could perform belly dancing so gracefully that everyone liked her dance; at the age of 7, she began to write poetry, and at the age of 8, she experienced her first tragedy when her father went bankrupt. At that time, her parents were forced to sell everything in the house, even the air conditioners.

Trying to forget about the complete collapse of their daughter's usual world, Shakira's parents took her to see how homeless children lived. The girl understood everything correctly. Years later, the singer created a charity fund to help children in need.


Since childhood, Shakira has listened to Arabic music, which her father often performed. She also loved watching girls perform belly dances and would imitate their movements very accurately. This art later became her specialty. At the age of 10, Shakira attracted attention with her powerful voice and began to participate in local competitions, and three years later she signed her first contract with Sony Music Colombia.

Her first albums were not successful, but the young singer continued to create music and after a break released the album Pies Descalzos, which made her famous in Latin America. The next album consolidated this success, and the Arabic melodies that sounded on it became the calling card of the young singer.


Her English-language singles “Whenever, Wherever” and “Underneath your Clothes” became hits around the world, and she became a famous star. She starred in a Colombian TV series, but soon realized that cinema was not for her.

Initial despair

The singer first fell in love with actor Osvaldo Rios. He was 16 years older than Shakira, had starred in TV series, and had been married twice. The inexperienced girl saw in him the prince of her dreams on a white horse. Despite the fact that one of the actor's ex-wives accused him of domestic violence and even demanded compensation through the court, this situation does not bother the girl in the slightest. Indeed, Oswaldo was initially very attentive to the singer: he anticipated all her desires, seemed to her a sincere person. However, his relationship with Shakira turned out to be completely fake - he simply used the singer to increase his fame.
As they say, a trained heart will not let go, the actor again goes down the path of betrayal. And when Shakira demands an explanation, Oswaldo begins to lie as usual. This time Shakira does not believe him and puts an end to their relationship.

In 2000, Shakira met Antonio de la Rua, the son of Argentine President Fernando de la Rua. Shakira was happy, in her interviews she described Antonio as an ideal man. Antonio became not only her lover, but also a real support for Shakira. The man took an active part in her career and acted as a business consultant. Shakira dreamed of marrying her lover, but she always answered questions about the wedding date with humor.

A year after they met, Antonio's father was disgraced and removed from office, but Shakira did not give up her relationship with her boyfriend, so as not to tarnish her reputation. She did not even pay attention when the sale of her albums in Argentina was banned.

But in 2011, everyone was shocked when they announced their divorce. The reasons for the divorce are unknown, but according to rumors, Shakira was tired of her husband's infidelity. After the divorce, Antonio sued Shakira, demanding $ 250 million (later another $ 100 million) in damages for her contribution to his career. However, the court rejected her claim, stating that their relationship was personal, not business.

False love

Soon, Shakira began dating Spanish footballer Gerard Pique. They met in 2010 during the filming of the music video for Waka Waka, the official anthem of the World Cup.

Gerard immediately attracted the singer's attention with his charisma and sense of humor. Their romance quickly developed, and they became one of the most talked-about couples in the world. Shakira was not at all intimidated by the fact that the footballer was 10 years younger than her, she did not care what people said about them, she called Pique her sunshine.

She followed Gerard to Barcelona, ​​where he played. Unlike her ex-boyfriend Antonio, she was happy that he did not demand anything other than love. Shakira has repeatedly stated that Gerard was her source of inspiration. In 2013, their first child, Milan, was born, and in 2015, their second son, Sasha. When the singer was asked about official marriage, she said that a stamp in the passport was absolutely not necessary for starting a family. However, one day Shakira surprised her fans with a statement that she did not want to get married.

According to her, official marriage is not important for her, besides, there is no reason to doubt Gerard. He is a wonderful father, takes care of his sons, and at the same time does not forget about his beloved. Gerard supported Shakira when she lost her voice and fell into depression, tolerated her emotions and was always there when she needed help.

One day, after visiting her sick father for several days, the singer, who then returned home, notices a half-empty jar of strawberry jam in the refrigerator... Neither Gerard nor her sons ate this jam at all... Shakira immediately realizes that in his absence there was another woman in his house, and that she lived there comfortably. And in 2022, the couple announced their divorce. Later, the media wrote about Piqué's numerous betrayals, which led to this divorce.

Getting back on his feet

In one of her interviews, the singer said that her world had collapsed because of the betrayal. "I sacrificed my career for my family, for my love, and in the end I lost my identity," she admits. She does not hide her disappointment: "They threw me away like garbage." Shakira says that she was repeatedly tormented by feelings of anger and hatred. She learned to live with this pain and finally reached the stage of recovery. Music became a saving force that helped her get out of the swamp of despair.

Shakira moved to Miami, focused on writing music and raising her sons, now trying to understand that she is a single mother and does not need anyone's help. In 2023, the singer released several successful tracks, and her song with Bizarrap set a record for the number of views on YouTube.

In the spring of 2024, rumors spread about the singer's new relationship, this time with 31-year-old actor Lucien Laviscount, known for his role in the TV series "Emily in Paris". Shakira did not comment on these rumors. After some time, she said that serious relationships are completely alien to her for now.

In fact, he wants to live without forgetting the lessons he learned and continue his career. "I'm much weaker than I thought. I was always afraid of pain, because I thought I wouldn't be able to bear it."

At one time, Shakir and Gerard Pique were considered the perfect couple, because they were born on the same day, only 10 years apart, such similarities are rare in a star family. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”