Shakira Finds Strength in Heartbreak, Eyes World Cup Glory

Sometimes the best comeback story isn’t about winning back what you lost—it’s about discovering who you become when it’s gone.

That’s the essence of what Shakira shared in a recent interview with The Times of London, where the 49-year-old singer opened up about life after her 2022 split from retired Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué. The two had been together for over a decade, building a family with sons Milan and Sasha before their relationship came to an end in June 2022. But rather than dwelling in bitterness, Shakira took the harder route: she processed the pain, leaned on her friends like Chris Martin and Adele, and emerged with a clearer sense of purpose.

“I will always have that gratitude in my heart for the father of my kids and [for] turning me into the mother that I am today,”she told the outlet. It’s a statement that could come across as rehearsed if it weren’t backed by real reflection. Shakira didn’t gloss over the difficulty. She called it her“darkest moment,”describing how she witnessed“the dissolution of my family, the family that I had dreamt to keep forever.”But she also recognized something crucial: that suffering, when processed, becomes a teacher.“They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and it is true,”she explained.“It’s amazing to learn that humans have a resilience that we can resort to at any moment in our lives.”

What makes this different from typical celebrity heartbreak discourse is that Shakira isn’t just talking about moving on—she’s talking about moving forward with intention. She’s been romantically linked to others since the split but has deliberately chosen solitude.“Oh no, no romance for me for now,”she stressed.“There’s no space or time in my life for that. My plate is quite full. My kids are my priority, and my career. Strangely enough, I’m in love with my career like I’ve never been in my life.”

That last line is the real story. Not the breakup, not the pain—but the rekindled passion for her work. Shakira is slated to perform at the 2026 World Cup later this summer, where she also wrote the tournament anthem“Dai Dai.”“It’s going to be extraordinary,”she teased.“I’m as passionate as ever.”After years of balancing partnership and parenthood, Shakira has returned to the thing that made her Shakira in the first place: her art. The hips don’t lie, and neither does her commitment to the stage.