Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his separation from his wife Sophie Gregoire on August 2, 2023; after 18 years of marriage.
In May 2005, Trudeau, 51, and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, 48, got married. The couple has three children: Ella-Grace, 14, Xavier, 15, and their youngest -Hadrien who is nine. He described her as ‘his rock, his partner, and his best friend’ on their anniversary in 2020.
According to the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Trudeau, and Gregoire have signed a legal separation agreement. Furthermore, they’ll continue to remain close friends as they both are focused on raising their three kids in a safe, loving, and collaborative environment.
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND SOPHIE GREGOIRE
The couple first met in 2003, according to the publication Globe and Mail, Sophie is a former journalist. The publication described her as an ‘energetic supporter of women’s issues’.
She was referred to as “the hottest first lady in the world” by the New York Post in October 2015. According to the report, Sophie, who is fluent in French and English, has known Trudeau since childhood because she was his late brother Michel’s classmate and friend.
Sophie is also credited to have shaped Trudeau’s feminist ideologies. Moreover, she has signed a two-book deal with Penguin Random House, Canada.
A close source stated that after Trudeau became the Prime Minister, the couple was seen frequently at social gatherings and foreign trips. The couple even visited India in February 2018 for an 11-day trip. However, lately, Sophie has curtailed such appearances with her husband.
Although, the couple did appear for King Charles’ coronation ceremony in London and later met US President Joe Biden when he visited in March.
TRUDEAU FOLLOWING FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS
Ever since the Canadian Prime Minister took to his Instagram to announce the separation, netizens took to the internet to remind the painful historical parallels, comparing the current Prime Minister’s actions to his father’s.
Trudeau’s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, separated from his wife Margaret in 1977 and got divorced in 1984 while being in the Office.
This development is one of the biggest personal crises for the Canadian Prime Minister ever since he took over the Office in 2015. This came in as he revealed a substantial cabinet shuffle in an effort to improve his Liberal Party’s position in the polls.
Trudeau was committed to leading the Liberals into the upcoming election, which was set for October 2025, despite his party’s popularity deficit.