Ronaldo's sister says losing ex Irina Shayk is 'like a death'

Cristiano Ronaldo’s big sister has claimed that losing ex Irina Shayk is “like a death.”

The football star’s low-key performances of late have been blamed on his break-up with his Russian girlfriend of five years.

Cristiano, 30, and Irina, 29, split at Christmas amid reports he called time on their relationship after she refused to attend a surprise birthday party for his beloved mum Dolores.

Victoria’s Secret beauty rubbished the reports - although she has since hinted at bad behaviour by the Real Madrid striker by claiming in an interview her perfect man would be “faithful and honest” and admitting to feeling “ugly and insecure” alongside the wrong person.

Cristiano’s older sister Elma admitted today that Cristiano’s split from Irina had knocked them for six.

But she insisted the model, who confirmed the break-up in January, was history.

She told Portuguese daily Correio da Manha: “Irina is like a death.

"We have suffered with the separation but we have to walk forward and overcome it.

“Cristiano is fine with or without a woman at his side. He’s happy.

“This split was like that of any other couple. It’s over and that’s it. Now we move on.”

Elma, who runs Cristiano’s luxury clothes store in their native Madeira, made her comments in the northern city of Porto where she travelled to celebrate her 41st birthday.

Irina fuelled rumours she had dumped the Real Madrid striker over alleged infidelities by describing her perfect man as “faithful and honest” in a Spanish magazine interview last week.

She told Spanish society magazine Hola: My ideal man is faithful, honest and a gentleman who knows how to treat women.

“I don’t believe in men who make us feel unhappy, because they’re boys not men.

“I thought I had once found the ideal man but it didn’t turn out that way.”

She added: “I think a woman feels ugly when she’s got the wrong man at her side. I’ve felt ugly and insecure.”