'Smiley' Shakira and Piqué pose together, belying rumours of a split

COLOMBIAN-BORN pop-rocker Shakira and her husband, FC Barcelona midfielder Gerard Piqué have published their first photograph of 2018 as a couple – debunking rumours about how their relationship was allegedly in crisis.

Shakira, 40, and Piqué, 30 spent their Christmas holidays in New York with their two sons Milan, four and Sasha, two, and have uploaded a photograph of themselves entwined and smiling naturally in their hotel.

After long months of never being pictured together on social media and other subtle 'signs', celebrity gossip hinted that the couple, who live in Barcelona, were on the verge of splitting up more than seven years after they got together at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where Shakira provided the catchy theme tune, Waka waka.

But they were spotted in the Big Apple over their holidays and described as 'very affectionate' and full of smiles.

During their trip, they went along to an NBA basketball match and mostly managed to keep a low profile – a necessary break for the pair, given the hostility Piqué has suffered in recent months over his stance concerning the Catalunya independence referendum.

The premier league player is not thought to be a supporter of the region's secession from Spain, but he was very forthright about how he believed the people of Catalunya should be allowed to vote on it.

Despite the police blockades, Piqué was able to cast his ballot and posted a selfie on Instagram of his dropping it into the box.

Afterwards, fans insulted him and some called for him to be dropped from the Spanish national team.

Half-Lebanese Shakira – born in Barranquilla, Colombia to a half-catalana mother – is also going through an ordeal of her own at the moment: a throat infection caused by her straining her voice led to a vocal-chord haemorrhage which has recently required surgery.

She had to postpone part of her El Dorado tour until at least this summer and is unable to work for a while, both of which have upset her greatly and caused her to feel very down about disappointing her fans.

But once back in Barcelona and their 'daily grind', the New York 'dream' was over quickly for Piqué at least: Wednesday evening saw Barça lose for this first time this season.

Shakira has given provisional dates for her Spanish concerts for this coming July, but her doctors will need to sign her off as fit to proceed.