Singer-businesswoman Rihanna and Hassan Jameel, her boyfriend of nearly three years, have called it quits, reports circulating on social media emerged on Saturday.
US Weekly magazine reported the split on Friday between the singer and Saudi businessman, who are both 31.
The pair kept their relationship mostly private. Rihanna was seen in a number of European cities with Hassan, who is from a non-showbiz background.
It was not immediately clear what led to the breakup.
First spotted together in Spain
Jameel and Rihanna were first spotted together by paparazzi in Spain in June 2017 in Spain and were pictured separately leaving a 2018 Grammy Award after-party in New York City in January.
In a June 2019 profile with Interview magazine, Rihanna opened up about the romance, admitting at the time that she was “of course” in love with Jameel, but she hesitated to nail down marriage plans. “Only God knows that, girl,” she said.
Later in the interview, the Grammy winner mentioned that she wants to be a mother “more than anything in life.”
Media reports say the couple was a case of opposites attract. “Rihanna and Hassan understand each other very well and their personalities mesh well together,” a source told US Weekly in September 2019.
“They’re both so different, but it works for them.”
A US showbiz insider explained the root of Rihanna-Jameel connection, noting the two were "great together".
Who is Hassan Jameel?
Unlike Rihanna’s previous romantic links, such as Drake — who RiRi recently said she does not have a friendship with — Jameel is removed from the limelight.
The 29-year-old billionaire is the deputy president and vice chairman of his family business, Abdul Latif Jameel. The conglomerate was founded in 1945 and owns exclusive distribution rights to Toyota in Saudi Arabia.
His family also owns the Saudi premier football league, the Abdul Latif Jameel League. Overall, they are estimated to be worth $1.5 billion (Dh5.5 billion).
Rihanna is not Jameel’s first famous link. Jameel was spotted alongside model Naomi Campbell in 2016 at a Stevie Wonder concert.
Campbell and Rihanna unfollowed each other on Instagram last year.
Host Andy Cohen quizzed Campbell about the supposed ‘feud’, to which she replied, “Everything’s fine. Of course it’s fine.”
When Cohen seemed unconvinced, Campbell quipped, “I’m an actress now, Andy.”
Jameel reportedly married Tunisian art curator Lina Lazaar in 2012 at the Paris Opera House, but the pair later divorced.
