Coldplay’s Chris Martin was there for his friend Shakira in her time of need.
The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer, 47, who publicly separated from soccer star Gerard Piqué in 2022, said her musician pal was one of the people she turned to after ending her 11-year relationship.
“He was there for me when I got separated and was heartbroken,” Shakira shared with Rolling Stone in a new profile on Martin published Thursday, December 19.
“He was checking in every day to see how I was doing, sending me words of support and strength and wisdom,” the Colombian pop star added.
According to Shakira, Martin, also 47, is a natural empath. “I see him as a person who sees life through a different lens, who’s sensitive to other people’s needs and very empathetic, very empathetic,” she said.
Shakira and Piqué, who share sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9, announced their separation in June 2022. “We regret to confirm that we are separating. For the wellbeing of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy,” they said in a joint statement.
Soon after their split, Piqué moved on with Spanish girlfriend Clara Chia Martí, 25.
In a September 2022 interview with Elle magazine, Shakira opened up about her painful split from the retired soccer player.
“This is really hard to talk about personally, especially as this is the first time I’ve ever addressed this situation in an interview,” the “She Wolf” songstress explained. “I’ve remained quiet and just tried to process it all. … It’s hard to talk about it, especially because I’m still going through it, and because I’m in the public eye and because our separation is not like a regular separation.”
“It’s been tough not only for me, but also for my kids,” Shakira told the outlet. “Incredibly difficult. … I’ve tried to conceal the situation in front of my kids. I try to do it and to protect them, because that’s my number one mission in life. But then they hear things in school from their friends or they come across some disagreeable, unpleasant news online, and it just affects them, you know?”
In June 2023, Shakira said she was “betrayed” while her father, William Mebarak Chadid, was hospitalized.
“[My dad] went to Barcelona to console me after I was consumed with sadness because of my separation,” she told People en Español at the time. “While he was at [my son] Milan’s first communion, he was gravely injured in an accident. Everything happened at once. My home was falling apart. I was finding out through the press that I had been betrayed while my dad was in the ICU.”
Shakira said she thought she “wasn’t going to survive” the hardships. “The man I have loved the most in my life, my father, was leaving me when I needed him the most. I couldn’t talk to him or go to my best friend for the advice I needed so much,” she said about her dad’s “very hard and slow” recovery process. Her father ultimately pulled through his health scare.
