- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau announced that they will separate after 18 years of marriage.
- Trudeau was only 43 when he became prime minister in late 2015 and the sharply-dressed couple quickly captured the attention of the world media.
- The 51-year-old Justin Trudeau is the second Canadian Prime Minister to separate from his wife during his tenure.
- His father Pierre Trudeau had announced a highly publicized separation from his wife Margaret in 1979, and the couple divorced in 1984.
- Sophie Gregoire is a former TV presenter, who has had a prominent presence throughout the PM’s career.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie said they were separating in an unexpected announcement that appeared to mark the end of the couple’s 18-year high-profile marriage. The couple had talked frankly in the past about difficulties in their relationship and in recent years were seen less often together in public.
Trudeau, 51, and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, 48, were married in May 2005 and have three children, aged 15, 14, and nine. On their anniversary in 2020, he described her as “my rock, my partner, and my best friend.”
For Trudeau, there are also painful historical parallels. His father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, separated from his wife, Margaret, in 1977, when he was in office.
The development is one of the biggest personal crises for Trudeau since he became prime minister in 2015, especially since he often stresses the importance of family life.
The couple made the announcement a week after Trudeau unveiled a massive cabinet shuffle in a bid to boost the fortunes of his Liberal Party, which is trailing in the polls. Aides said he was determined to lead the Liberals into the next election, which must be held by October 2025.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, one of Trudeau’s closest allies, would brief members of the cabinet later on Wednesday. Trudeau’s office said the two had signed a legal agreement, stressing that the couple would focus on raising their children. The family will go on vacation together next week.
Gregoire Trudeau will be moving into separate accommodation in Ottawa but plans to spend plenty of time with the children in Rideau Cottage, the prime minister’s official residence, to ensure they have as normal an upbringing as possible, said a source familiar with the situation.
The source, who requested anonymity because of the extreme sensitivity of the situation, said the couple would have joint custody of the children. Gregoire Trudeau, an advocate for gender equality who studied commerce at university, was working as a reporter when she met Trudeau in 2003. They married two years later.
Trudeau was only 43 when he became prime minister in late 2015 and the sharply-dressed couple quickly captured the attention of the world media. In October 2015, the New York Post dubbed her “the hottest first lady in the world.”
In the early years after Trudeau took office, he and Sophie were often seen together at social functions and on foreign trips. In February 2018, during a visit to India, the two of them dressed in colorful costumes most days, prompting derisive comments back home.
Trudeau, though, made clear even before he became prime minister that the two had faced challenges, writing in his autobiography Common Ground in 2014 that “our marriage isn’t perfect, and we have had difficult ups and downs. “In recent years, Gregoire Trudeau has curtailed joint appearances with her husband, and signs of stress were clear. On their wedding anniversary last year, she said in a social media post that “We have navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between and it isn’t over.” She went on: “Long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways”.
The two of them did travel to London in May for the coronation of King Charles and were together when U.S. President Joe Biden visited in late March.
As recently as Monday, Trudeau was still wearing his wedding ring.
(With inputs from agencies)
