Shakira has officially entered her strong woman era as she embraces being “husbandless” after splitting from her partner of 11 years, Gerard Piqué.

Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC on Monday, the Hips Don’t Lie hitmaker, 47, looked phenomenal in a studded mini dress and platform heels as she bared all about her former relationship. 

The Columbian star rocked an archival dress hailing from the noughties, embellished with paisley motifs and grungecore shapes crafted from vampy studs. With a sweetheart neckline, ragged hemline and thigh-skimming length, Shakira made a serious statement in the striking number. 

The mother-of-two wore her caramel-hued hair in her signature beachy waves, letting her curls fall to her waist. She rocked a bold makeup look consisting of bubblegum-toned eyeshadow, a golden bronzer and matching frosted pink lip. 

Addressing her comeback after a seven-year hiatus from music, show host Jimmy asked Shakira why it had been so long since she put out a record. “I was putting out songs here and there but it was really hard for me to put together a body of work,” Shakira said.

“It was the husband. Now I’m husbandless. Yeah, the husband was dragging me down. Now I’m free. Now I can actually work.” 

Shakira and Gerard, who share sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, nine, were together for over a decade, but never legally married.

It’s not the first time the newly-single star has blamed her ex-partner for halting her success. “For a long time I put my career on hold, to be next to Gerard, so he could play football,” she told The Times. 

“I was raw,” Shakira said of writing her 16-track album. “I was dealing with a lot of stuff. I felt at times with a knife between my teeth. I was picking up the pieces of myself from the floor. I was trying to rebuild myself. Music was the glue.”

Shakira called time on her relationship with the Spanish soccer player in June 2022 after an 11-year marriage. Reports surfaced that Shakira was left “devastated” due to the rumors surrounding Gerard’s alleged infidelity, linking him with his current partner, Clara Chia Marti.

In a statement, she said: “We regret to confirm that we are parting ways. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy.  Thank you for your understanding.”