Achraf Hakimi, a Paris Saint-Germain footballer, is divorcing his glamorous actress wife Hiba Abouk, who is 12 years his senior.
The Moroccan international footballer, 24, and Hiba, 36, both born in Spain, have two sons but divorced earlier this year.
When Hiba failed to publicly defend her husband when he was accused of rape in February of this year, rumors of a divorce began to circulate.
What was Hiba’s early life like?
Hiba Abouk has a cult following in Spain, but the mother-of-two is originally of Tunisian and Libyan descent.
Her parents immigrated to Spain from Tunisia and had four children, with Hiba being the youngest.
She later studied Arabic philology and received a licentiate degree in drama from the Real Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático in Madrid, Spain.
How did Hiba become famous?
Her first role was in a single episode of the TV series El Syndrome de Ulses in 2008, but it wasn’t until two years later that her career took off.
Hiba first appeared in the comedy series La isla de los nominados, then in the Spanish adaptation of Cheer, but it was her first leading role in the popular Spanish crime drama El Principe that made her a household name.
How did she meet Achraf Hakimi?
Hiba met PSG star Achraf Hakimi, 24, in 2018 during a photo shoot for Vogue Arabia while he was still playing for Real Madrid.
They made their relationship public at a charity event in Madrid in June 2019 and made it official on Instagram two months later.
They married in secret in 2020 and now have two sons, Amin and Naim.
Hiba graced the cover of Vogue Arabia in October, and her husband’s team went on to make history, becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals.
When did the couple break up?
Achraf Hakimi was accused earlier this year by a woman of raping her at his home in a Paris suburb on February 25, and French prosecutors launched a formal investigation shortly after.
He has denied the charge, claiming that he is the victim of “racketeering.”
Notably, Hiba did not defend her husband publicly.
After a month of silence, Hiba issued a statement saying she had divorced Hakimi “long before the events in the media in which I have been involved and of which I am completely unaware.”
‘After taking the decision to legally separate and stop living together, while awaiting the divorce proceedings, who would have imagined that in addition to facing the usual pain that comes with a separation and accepting the grief that comes with the failure of a family project to which I had given body and soul, I would have to face this ignominy,’ she said in a statement to El Pais.
She added that she has faith in the justice system and that she is always on the side of victims in such cases.
What does the future hold for Hiba?
The mother-of-two, who is said to be worth €3.1 million, is expected to continue her TV and film career following her divorce from her husband.
She has 1.3 million Instagram followers and no doubt earns a lot of money from brand partnerships, promoting products like Dior perfume.
She also has a number of charitable projects aimed at improving children’s health and well-being.