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Shakira y su papa© GettyImages

Shakira reveals she was ‘betrayed’ by Piqué while her dad was fighting for his life in ICU

The singer recalled how she had to manage her father’s hospitalization, while her ex was moving on with another woman


Shirley Gomez
Senior Writer
JUNE 27, 2023 10:06 AM EDT

Shakira has had rocky months, and every day we learn more about what led to her separation from the father of her children, Gerard Piqué. The singer and philanthropist recently recalled how she had to manage her father’s hospitalization, while the former soccer player was moving on with another woman.

During a cover story for People en Español, the three-time Grammy winner said her father, William Mebarak Chadid, had to travel to Barcelona to “console me after I was consumed with sadness because of my separation” from Gerard—with whom she shares kids Milan, 9, and Sasha, 7.

Shakira y su papá William Mebarak© GettyImages
William Mebarak Chadid and honoree Shakira pose during the 2011 Latin Recording Academy Person Of The Year honoring Shakira held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on November 9, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Shakira also revealed her dad was “gravely injured in an accident” during her eldest son’s first communion. “Everything happened at once,” she told the outlet. “My home was falling apart. I was finding out through the press that I had been betrayed while my dad was in the ICU.”

According to Shakira, she felt desolated and couldn’t “survive” everything she was going through. The star said her dad is her “best friend,” and his recovery has been “very hard and slow.”

“He has overcome COVID once, two accidents, one pneumonia and five surgeries—all of this at 91 years of age, in less than six months,” she revealed. “My dad is the biggest example of resilience, and my mother has been by his side day and night. They have both been a reflection of that dream that didn’t come true for me. But I hope they are role models for my kids of love, of patience in relationships, of absolute devotion and zest for life.”

William Mebarack y Nidia Ripoll© GettyImages
Shakira’s father William Mebarak Chadid (L) and her mother Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado are seen at the airport

Shakira and Gerard announced their breakup in June 2022 after more than a decade together. Since the split, the global sensation has made musical references to her ex and his new girlfriend, Clara Chia Martiwho is rumored to become his wife.

Despite Shakira and Piqué‘s constant diss, both parents affirm they want to protect their children’s privacy.