Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau have announced that they will be separating after 18 years of marriage. The couple got married in May 2005 and have three children together, aged 15,14 and nine. Trudeau described Sophia as his “rock”, “partner” and his “best friend” on their anniversary in 2020.
In an Instagram post, Trudeau said, “Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate.” Earlier, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp said one of the PM’s closest allies, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, will be briefing the cabinet members later. It added that Trudeau himself will speak about the separation publicly this week.
As per Trudeau’s office, he and Sophie have signed a legal agreement which stresses that they will focus on raising their children. The family of five will be going on a vacation next week.
Sophie will be moving into a separate accommodation in Ottawa. However, she plans to spend time with the children in Trudeau’s official residence, Rideau Cottage. She will do this to ensure they have as normal an upbringing as possible, Reuters reported a source as saying.
The source also said that they would have joint custody of the children.
Trudeau’s father and former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau also separated from his wife Margaret in 1977 while he was still in office.
The announcement comes a week after Trudeau’s massive cabinet shuffle aimed at boosting the fortunes of his Liberal party.
Trudeau and Sophie
An advocate of gender equality, Sophie (48), was working as a reporter when she met Trudeau in 2003. They got married two years later. In the past, the couple has been open about difficulties in their relationship.
Writing his autobiography ‘Common Ground’ in 2014, Trudeau wrote, “Our marriage isn’t perfect, and we have had difficult ups and downs.” On their anniversary last year, Sophie wrote in a social media post, “We have navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between and it ain’t over.” “Long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways,” she added.