HELL hath no fury like a woman scorned – just ask Gerard Pique, who has been wading through a bitter split from popstar Shakira. The pair were once one of the world’s most glamorous showbiz couples, but are now arch rivals who only speak for the sake of their sons.
Shakira’s career and personal life have been going from strength to strengthCredit: Getty
But she still finds time to make some thinly veiled jabs at her ex Gerard PiqueCredit: Getty
The popstar stuck a creepy witch doll on her balcony facing Pique’s parent’s house in JanuaryCredit: Splash
Shakira has admitted she “believed in ’till death do us part'”, until she caught wind of Pique’s alleged infidelity with Clara Chia Marti, 24.
It marked the end of their 12-year romance and the start of a vicious feud – and there is still no sign of a truce.
Diss tracks, witch dolls, empty jam jars and sponsorship deals have been at the centre of the ongoing war between the former lovers.
While the star’s love life has been in turmoil, the singer has also been battling a court case that was set to leave her reputation in tatters.
READ MORE ON SHAKIRA
The singer was summoned to a Barcelona courthouse as she faced spending eight years behind bars for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax officials of £12.7million.
But after a bombshell plea deal was agreed on the first day of her trial, she managed to dodge jail while agreeing to pay a hefty £7million.
Former Barcelona ace Pique has publicly reaped the wrath of Shakira since the couple announced their split in June last year.
But he has also done his fair share of poking the bear while flaunting his new relationship with Clara to the world.
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We have taken a look at all the messiest moments of their over 14-month feud, which fans of the pair have had a front-row seat to.
It all began back in 2010 when Shakira was filming the video for her World Cup anthem, Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).
Pique made an appearance in the clip alongside other famous footballers and managed to catch the eye of the She Wolf singer.
They officially announced their relationship in 2011 and the smitten pair were soon on each other’s arm for red carpets and sharing on-stage smooches.
The first of the couple’s two sons, Milan, nine, was born in 2012, prompting Shakira to pack up her life in the US for Barcelona.
She settled in the Spanish city while Pique impressed on the football field, asserting themselves as a power couple in the industry.
The family grew larger in 2015 when their second son Sasha, seven, came along and joined their love bubble.
It was the same year that Shakira defended their decision not to get hitched, saying she already knew that Pique was “the one” for her.
She also gushed about him being “very territorial” over her and instructing her not to shoot any sexy music videos with men.
The Colombian beauty ironically later revealed that she feared becoming Pique’s wife would make him lose interest.
TROUBLE BREWING
“Marriage scares the sh*t out of me,” she said. “I don’t want him to see me as the wife. I’d rather him see me as his girlfriend, his lover.
“It’s like a little forbidden fruit. I want to keep him on his toes.”
The pair seemed to continue to go from strength to strength and routinely declared their love for one another while publicly applauding their partner’s achievements.
But cracks began to show shortly after Shakira faced allegations that she had dodged £12million in tax owed to the Spanish authorities.
During an interview in January the following year, the songstress revealed their conflicting schedules were often the cause of tension.
Shakira told the Planet Weirdo with Holly H podcast: “He’s very strict, very punctual. He’s been brought up in a football team where he’s a team player and he has to be [punctual]. It’s like the army.
“His mind is structured like that and mine. I’m a little, you know – and so I’ve become a lot more punctual since I met him.
“But the times that we actually fight is because I’m late and he’s waiting up.”
Rumours then began to surface that Pique may have been playing away in June 2022, just days before the couple shocked fans with a joint statement announcing their split.
SHAKIRA’S ‘DARKEST HOUR’
Spanish media outlets reported that the pair had been living apart for weeks, after Shakira kicked Pique out of the family home.
She later revealed that she learned of the former footballer’s “betrayal” while her dad was fighting for his life in hospital.
The mum-of-two described the period as the “darkest hours of her life” and thought she “wasn’t going to survive” her personal turmoil.
Three months after announcing their breakup, Pique went public with his new love Clara – who was welcomed with open arms by his parents.
It was yet another sting in the tail for the popstar, which also sparked a toxic tit-for-tat battle with her former in-laws.
But in true Shakira style, she sought solace in the studio and opted to cash in on her heartbreak, rather than wallowing in sadness.
In October 2022, she released her song Monotonia which was laden with not-so-subtle digs towards her ex.
She sings: “Suddenly you were no longer the same. You left me because of your narcissism. You forgot what we once were.”
The video shows the singer being shot in the chest, then her heart pulled out and stamped on.
Unconfirmed reports that Pique had met Clara at the Davis Cup in 2019 then emerged, fuelling further headlines in Spain.
MUSICAL THERAPY
He finally reached a custody agreement with Shakira in November, where it was agreed that the kids would move to Miami with their mother.
When the New Year rolled in, it seemed that the singer had a new lease of life – and a lot of material to release.
She dropped her epic diss track, BZRP Music Session #53″, on January 12, which boasts a staggering 620 million views on YouTube.
It was brimming with swipes at Pique, Clara and her former mother-in-law, as well as a healthy dose of self-confidence.
She joked that her ex had “traded a Ferrari for a Twingo” and a “Rolex for a Casio” – which led to Pique earning sponsorship deals with Toyota and the budget watch brand.
Another lyric advised the former Manchester United star to “work his brain a little bit too” rather than just focusing on the gym.
Shakira sings: “Sorry baby, I should have thrown you out a while ago. A she-wolf like me is not for rookies.
“A she-wolf like me is not for guys like you. I’m too good for you, and that’s why you’re with someone just like you.
“No hard feelings baby, I wish you the best with my supposed replacement.”
Referring to her tax fraud case and her proximity to Gerard’s family home, she added: “You left me my mother-in-law as my neighbour, press at my door and in debt with the treasury.”
THE JAM JAR
Pique responded to the song by turning up to work in an £8,000 Renault Twingo and boasting his new seven-a-side project the King’s League had landed a sponsorship deal with Casio – adding that the cheaper watch would “last a lifetime”.
But he has since had to endure his teammates belting out the track as well as it being blared in nightclubs upon his arrival.
In wake of the bombshell diss track, it was reported that Shakira had discovered the 36-year-old cheating thanks to a half-eaten jam jar.
She allegedly returned from a trip to find the condiment had been opened – despite Pique and her children not being fans of it.
The A-lister reportedly turned detective and hired a private investigator to trail Pique to confirm her suspicions.
Again capitalising on her misfortune, Shakira seemed to allude to the jam saga in her music video with Rauw Alejandro for Te Felicito.
During one scene, her fellow musician’s head is seen inside a fridge – with a jar of jam on the shelf.
In another twist, Shakira then put a terrifying life-size witch doll on her balcony, facing her mother-in-law’s house in the same street.
Neighbours reported she also blasted out her diss track on repeat so Gerard’s mum, Montserrat Bernabéu, could hear.
As her first Valentine’s Day in over a decade as a single woman rolled around, Shakira saw it as the perfect opportunity for another dig.
RISING FROM THE ASHES
The 46-year-old shared a clip lip-syncing to SZA’s hit song, Kill Bill, which features the line: “I might kill my ex, not the best idea. His new girlfriend’s next, how’d I get here?”
In April, Pique said diss tracks like Shakira’s and online jibes have the potential to cause someone to commit suicide.
He told an interviewer: “What has to happen? Maybe someone commits suicide and we say, ‘Oh, we’ve gone too far?’ I’m very disappointed with what society is.”
But his grumbles have done little to stop the feud from snowballing, seeing the pair continue to go back and forth.
Although the world has watched Shakira exact revenge on her ex, it hasn’t detered A-list hunks who have been falling at her feet.
The likes of Lewis Hamilton, Tom Cruise and NBA ace Jimmy Butler have all been desperate for a date with the singer.
She has routinely set pulses racing with sexy social media posts too, including her steamy video of her lip syncing to Copa Vacia.
Fans spotted that the title of the translates from Spanish to empty cup – leading fans to believe it was a swipe at her former beau.
The single, featuring Manuel Turizo, talks about wanting more in a relationship that feels like drinking out of an empty cup.
She then put on a incredible show at the MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, making sure Pique knew what he was missing.
THE BOSS
The Hips Don’t Lie singer revealed to The Sun on the pink carpet that her latest single is called The Boss.
It is an apparent nod to the alleged nickname she was given by Pique’s pals after they said she failed to hang out with them during their 11-year relationship.
Shakira allegedly never hit it off with the footballer’s friends, who gave her the nickname due to her “bad character” – dubbing her “La Patron” or “The Boss”.
But fans noticed she had seemingly changed her tune just days later, as she posed for a picture wth staff from Pique’s former club.
She was seen smiling as she held up a Barcelona shirt while she launched her educational centre in her native Barranquilla, Colombia.
Clearly on a mission to be the bigger person, she then made another savage move that was sure to get under Pique’s skin.
The superstar hired the nanny who the footballer allegedly fired without pay for reportedly exposing his infidelity to Shakira.
Lili Melgar made a shock appearance in the music video for The Boss, staring directly into the camera before frowning.
In the background Shakira sings: “This song is for you, since you weren’t paid severance/Another fart, as always.”
It appears that the lyrics and clip of Melgar, the longtime nanny of the pair’s children Milan and Sasha, were references to pay scandal.
Whatever happens next in the savage tit for tat, you can expect the She-Wolf to bite back.
The former couple have traded public digs since they split in June 2022Credit: Getty
Shakira proudly rocked the pink carpet with her sons before her electrifying VMA’s performanceCredit: Getty
The former footballer is now in a relationship with alleged mistress Clara Chia MartiCredit: INSTAGRAM/GERARD PIQUE More
