Justin Trudeau And Sophie Grégoire Trudeau Announce Their Separation

By Emily Richardson | Politics | August 2, 2023 |

By Emily Richardson | Politics | August 2, 2023 |

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau are separating after 18 years of marriage. Justin announced the news in a brief statement on Instagram, in English/en Français. It read:

Hi everyone, Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate.

As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build. For the well-being of our children, we ask that you respect our and their privacy. Thank you.

Sophie shared the same statement to her Instagram, except she wisely swapped her name for Justin’s and led with the French version of the statement (her sacred duty as someone born in Québec).

Justin, 51, and Sophie, 49, first met when they were growing up in Montreal. Sophie was a classmate and childhood friend of Justin’s younger brother, Michel. The pair reconnected in 2003 when they co-hosted a charity ball together. Justin popped the question the following year, and the couple got married in 2005. They have three children: 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace, and 9-year-old Hadrien.

In a separate news release, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed that Justin and Sophie had already “signed a legal separation agreement.” They say that the couple have worked together to ensure “all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken”, and they’re “focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving, and collaborative environment.” The PMO also adds that Canadians can expect “to often see the family together, and they plan to be together on vacation, beginning next week.”

The Trudeau Grégoires have lived in Rideau Cottage in Ottawa since Justin became Prime Minister in 2015. They also have a cottage at Harrington Lake in nearby Gatineau, Québec. Their last public appearance together was at last month’s Canada Day events. Before that, Justin and Sophie attended King Charles III’s coronation in London.

In his 2014 memoir, Common Ground, Justin wrote about how his own parents’ divorce affected him, and how political life can put a strain on marriage. Justin’s father, former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, announced his separation from wife Margaret Trudeau in 1977, when he was still in office. Margaret, who was 29 years Pierre’s junior, later admitted she had affairs with Jack Nicholson, Ryan O’Neal, and Lou Rawls. Before Pierre married Margaret, he had a whirlwind romance with Barbra Streisand. After their divorce, he was linked to Margot Kidder, Gale Zoë Barnett, and Kim Cattrall. Now, you’re probably asking: what does any of this ancient Canuck gossip have to do with Justin and Sophie’s split? Not much, but it’s fun to imagine a world where Barbra Streisand was our First Lady (err, “wife of Prime Minister”).

Here’s Justin’s separation post. He made the wild decision to not limit the comments, and, boy oh boy, they are a doozy:

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A post shared by Justin Trudeau (@justinpjtrudeau)