How Shakira Became Cardi B’s Lifeline During Her Painful Divorce From Offset

“It took crying, scary thoughts, and time — but I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.”

When Cardi B talks about heartbreak, she doesn’t sugarcoat it.
The Grammy-winning rapper, 32, recently opened up on Jay Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast about the emotional journey of leaving her marriage to Offset, and the unlikely source of strength who helped her through it — Shakira.

“My marriage… I felt the love dying,” Cardi admitted quietly. “From my end, from his end. I was very lonely — because I chose to be lonely.”

The couple, who wed in 2017, had long been one of hip-hop’s most high-profile romances, weathering scandals, separations, and reconciliations before Cardi finally filed for divorce in July 2024.
But this time, it wasn’t just about anger or betrayal — it was about emotional survival.

“I kept thinking, what’s life going to be without this person? Without raising my last child with him? Without my friend?” she said. “When you have those kinds of thoughts, it gets you sad. It gets you depressed. But I overcame that. I am the strongest I’ve ever been.”

While Cardi was wrestling with grief behind the scenes, she was also working — collaborating with none other than Shakira, who herself had endured a highly publicized split from football star Gerard Piqué. That creative connection soon became something deeper: a lifeline.

“Around that time, I was working with Shakira,” Cardi shared. “I asked her, like, how did you overcome this? How did you get through it? And she told me, ‘It’ll happen. It’ll take time. But it’ll happen.’ And it did.”

What followed wasn’t instant healing — it was months of emotional work. “It took crying. It took scary thoughts,” Cardi confessed. “But I’m here, honey. I’m here, and I’m the strongest I’ve ever been.”

Cardi and Offset share three children — Kulture Kiari, Wave Set, and Blossom Bell — and despite the turbulence, the rapper says she’s at peace. She’s now expecting her first child with NFL star Stefon Diggs of the New England Patriots.

And as for Shakira, her words proved prophetic: healing doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen.

In the end, two powerhouse women who turned their pain into art found strength in each other — a testament to resilience, friendship, and the quiet sisterhood behind the spotlight.