Shakira opens up on her split with Gerard Pique, says `it`s hard to talk about it, because...`

Washington: Almost three months after singer-songwriter Shakira and Gerard Pique confirmed their split; she has now spoken up and shared how their kids are coping with the breakup.

According to E! News, recently she told a magazine, "I`ve remained quiet and just tried to process it all. Um, and yeah, 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. And so it`s been tough not only for me but also for my kids. Incredibly difficult."

"I have paparazzi camping outside, in front of my house, 24/7. And there`s not a place where I can hide from them with my kids, except for my own house. You know, we can`t take a walk in the park like a regular family or go have an ice cream or do any activity without the paparazzi following us. So it`s hard," Shakira added.

However, she is doing her best to shield her kids from the breakup and the media attention. "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?" she continued.

Months later, though, the breakup is still hard to process. As Shakira told, "Sometimes I just feel like this is all a bad dream and that I`m going to wake up at some point." But that`s not the case. In fact, Gerard has seemingly moved on from their relationship, reported E! News.

"It`s real and what`s also real is the disappointment to see something as sacred and as special as I thought was the relationship I had with my kids` father and see that turned into something vulgarized and cheapened by the media," Shakira said of her breakup from the soccer star, as per E! News.

Here are some pictures of the singer with her sons:

The couple has been together for more than 11 years having started dating in 2010. The pair have two children together. They met in the 2010 South Africa World Cup when Gerard was featured in the music video for Shakira`s "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", the tournament`s official song.