Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie have separated, in an unexpected announcement that put an end to their 18-year marriage.
Trudeau (51 years old) and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau (48 years old) were married in May 2005, they have 3 children, Ella Grace (14 years old), Xavier (15 years old) and Hadrian (6 years old).
Sophie Trudeau worked as a television reporter before her marriage, they had known each other since childhood, they met again in 2003 during a charity match, they got engaged and married in 2005. For the Emirates.
In the first years after Trudeau took office, he and Sophie were seen together at social events and on trips abroad. Trudeau explained before becoming prime minister that they faced crises, telling the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 2014, “our marriage is not perfect and we have gone through difficult ups and downs, and yet Sophie remains my best friend and partner, we are honest with each other even when honesty hurts.
Sophie has stood by her husband at political events over the past decade, taking his party from third place to form a government in 2015 and winning two elections in 2019 and 2021.
But in recent years her absence from appearances with her husband has been noted, and signs of tension were clearly visible on their relationship. On their wedding anniversary last year, she said in a post on social media: “we have succeeded on sunny days and severe storms that are not over yet, long-term relationships are challenging in many ways.
The two traveled to London last May for the coronation of King Charles, and were together when US President Joe Biden visited Canada last March.
“Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we made the decision to separate,” Trudeau said on Instagram, and she, in turn, posted an almost identical message on her Instagram account.
Trudeau’s office said the two signed a legal agreement after working to ensure that all legal and ethical steps were taken regarding their decision to separate.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin’s father, separated from his wife Margaret in 1977 during his last months in office.
The current prime minister published his memoirs in 2014 under the title “common ground”, and stated that the “dark drama” at home and the eventual divorce of his parents were the things that made his life difficult.
The separation and the disintegration of Justin Trudeau’s family come as Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party is struggling to cope with falling popularity in opinion polls against the opposition Conservative Party ahead of elections expected before the end of 2025.
Trudeau announced last week a major reshuffle of his cabinet with the stated aim of strengthening his economic team ahead of that looming campaign. This included the change of more than two-thirds of his close political circle, with 7 new ministers joining the cabinet and about 20 ministers reassigned to new roles.
