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Shakira's long-term relationship with Gerard Piqué went down in flames after more than ten years, with things getting so bad that Shakira even wrote diss tracks about her ex. Though it's unclear as yet whether there's any truth to the rumor that Gerard cheated, Shakira is publicly healing after their decade-long relationship, which produced two children. Despite her controversies in the past, Shakira is not going quietly.
Unfortunately for Shakira, it seems the past may be repeating itself. Though she didn't have children with any other ex, Shakira's dating history includes a similar episode to the Gerard Piqué chapter.
Shakira Dated Another Ex For 10 Years Before They Split
Long before Shakira and Gerard became what seemed like an unshakeable couple, there was Shakira and Antonio de la Rúa. According to most timelines, Shakira and Antonio got together in 2000, sticking together for a little over 10 years before splitting in 2010.
Shakira's famous comments about her commitment to her now-ex Gerard are eerily similar to the ones she declared about de la Rúa, according to an archived USA Today article from 2009. In an interview, Shakira, who was then 32, spoke about her boyfriend of nine years.
I want to reproduce. I'm semi-married. I used to believe I had to be married to have kids. … The culture kind of gives us tunnel vision. But we function as a married couple; we don't need papers for that.
At the time of her comments about marriage with Antonio de la Rúa, Shakira admitted she wasn't quite ready to settle down. She had recently dropped an album (She Wolf) and noted that she wanted "one more world tour" before settling down for good.
In Shakira's words, her music was her main responsibility; "I feel like I just delivered a baby, and he likes to party."
Little did Shakira know that she was only a year away from heartbreak, and one almost as public as the split from Piqué.
Who Is Antonio de la Rúa?
He may not make many headlines today, but when he was on Shakira's arm, Antonio de la Rúa's pre-existing fame got a boost. He is the son of the former president of Argentina (Fernando de la Rúa, 1999 to 2001) and a lawyer to boot.
Antonio de la Rúa wasn't involved in his dad's political dealings—at least not officially—but he was somewhat famous in his own right, at least in Argentina. That fame might have been what led to his split from Shakira in the end.
Various publications hinted that Antonio had cheated on Shakira, primarily between 2007 and 2008. He may have stepped out other times, but there was apparently photographic evidence of him cheating—that Shakira apparently wanted to stifle, according to Colombia Reports.
Shakira’s representatives allegedly had attempted to buy these photos in order to prevent their public circulation and thus avoid scandal.
There were "various" photos of Antonio dancing with other women, and in one image, a woman is sitting on his lap. If it's true that Shakira tried to keep the photos from being released, it does make sense for two reasons.
One is, of course, Shakira's desire for privacy with her relationship issues. The other is that de la Rúa worked for Shakira during much of their relationship; her website published an official statement about their breakup (albeit months after they reportedly split) and stated that de la Rúa would continue working with Shakira.
However, things didn't continue happily from that point. In 2012, de la Rúa sued Shakira for $250 million. The court case, though likely fraught with drama, was eventually thrown out.
A notable difference between that relationship and Shakira's with Gerard is that Gerard, thus far, has turned down settlement offers from Shakira—ostensibly so that he can negotiate custody and other issues.
At any rate, by the time she saw Antonio in court, Shakira was already happily coupled up with Gerard, having met him while filming "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," calling him her "sun." Rumors about a possible pregnancy were also circulating at that time and turned out to be true.
As fans know, Skira and Piqué welcomed their first child in 2013 and a second in 2015.
Where Is Antonio de la Rúa Now (And is He Friendly With Shakira)?
Today, de la Rúa is a father of two and is separated from his former wife, DJ Daniela Ramos. It's unclear, however, whether Shakira and Antonio are on good terms today; Shakira dedicated a post to Antonio's late father when former Argentine President de la Rúa passed away in 2019.
But despite rumors that Shakira and Antonio may get together—as friends or something more—now that she's single again, those rumors appear to be pure speculation for now.
One detail added fuel to that speculation fire, however; a journalist who reportedly chatted with Antonio was left on read after questioning whether Antonio might reconcile with Shakira, now that they're both presumably single.
Though headlines screamed that Antonio had "broken his silence" on the reconciliation rumors, the truth is, he only added to the rumors by keeping quiet. Could that mean he's interested in seeing Shakira again? Only time will tell.
