Shakira’s father denies pregnancy

BOGOTA - Agence France-Presse

Belly dancing Colombian pop star Shakira is not pregnant, her father said June 22 in an effort to quell rumors that have gone viral in Latin America.

“I’ve heard certain media announce the confirmation of my daughter’s pregnancy,” William Mebarak said in a statement. “That’s absolutely false.”

Stories speculating that the singer, who famously rollerbladed around a beach in a bikini top for her music video “Loca,” would soon become a mother have been circulating in Latin American media for weeks.
According to the reports, the father is Shakira’s longtime companion, Spanish soccer star Gerard Pique.
Some media outlets even go so far as to claim the 35-year-old’s supposed pregnancy is being complicated by toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection.

Stories were first published by the Colombian and Mexican press, before being picked up elsewhere in the region.

Shakira fans have said it was her father who first who alluded to his daughter’s alleged pregnancy in a television interview.

But Mebarak vehemently disputed that.

“I’m hoping for good news, and hope it happens soon, because she knows it will make us all rejoice,” Mebarak said. “I’ve never said otherwise.”

Currently in Poland to watch her boyfriend play in the Euro 2012 soccer championships, the singer is preparing songs for an upcoming album. She has yet to comment on the reports.