Celebrities have multiple sources of income, whether through a restaurant partnership or a fashion line; however, one of the most lucrative businesses is in the real state. From Ellen DeGeneres to Gerard Piqué, they have made headlines when they acquired lavish properties and then flipped or rented them. The most recent case concerns the former soccer player and a mansion he bought in 2015.
According to Vanitatis, the lifestyle edition from the Spanish media outlet, El Confidencial, the 36-year-old businessman and retired athlete purchased a property on Avenida Pearson, considered Barcelona’s most exclusive street. Initially, it was thought that he would reside there with Shakira, but later it was disclosed that the lavish property would be rented out.
The interesting part comes after the publication revealed that Piqué never rented it and allegedly used it for his late-night revelries. According to the outlet, neighbors witnessed the then-footballer hosting extravagant parties in the garden, by the pool, or on the terraces.
Did Shakira know about these soirees?
It has been reported that these private and secretive events continued for years, even after he welcomed two sons with Shakira. The host supposedly acted like a carefree bachelor and paid little attention to witnesses or photographs. “He appeared carefree, with bachelor-like manners, and he knew that someone could see him or, in worst-case scenarios, even take photographs, as there were not only many women but also numerous colleagues and friends,” add the neighbors.
Piqué didn’t limit his partying to just his lavish estate. He also threw parties at his current residence, a triplex on Muntaner Street, where he enjoyed his playful lifestyle.
Sources informed the outlet that “his desire to continue feeling young with his late-night outings, his friends, and a fun-filled life clashed with [Shakira’s] longing to be at home and lead a homely life.”
What led to Shakira and Piqué’s separation?
While it is unknown if the Colombian had any clue about the parties, 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.
“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.”