Shakira: ‘My separation from Piqué still feels like a dream but it’s real’

Singer Shakira says her separation from Barcelona defender, Gerard Piqué still feels like a dream.

‘It’s very hard to talk about this, particularly as it’s the first time I’ve spoken about the situation in an interview,’ Shakira told Elle magazine.

‘I stayed silent and just tried to process it all. It’s tough to talk about because I’m still going through it and I’m in the public eye, and because our break-up isn’t like a normal break-up.

‘So it’s been difficult not just for me, but for my kids. Incredibly difficult. I have paparazzi camped outside my house 24/7. There’s nowhere I can hide except for my own home.’

‘I’ve tried to shield my kids from the situation. I’ve tried to protect them, because that’s my priority in life. But then they hear things from their friends at school or they find unpleasant news stories on the internet, and it affects them, you know?’

‘Sometimes I feel like all of this is just a bad dream and I’m going to wake up at some point. But no, it’s real.’

The Colombian, 45, and Piqué, 35, were in a relationship for 12 years, and have two children together: Milan, nine, and Sasha, seven.