(NewsReady.com) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, seemed like a political powerhouse. She played an important role in his career and raised their three children while he led his country. That partnership has now come to an end.
On August 2, Trudeau posted a message on Instagram announcing that he and his wife were separating. He said the two of them “remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other” and asked for privacy for the “well-being” of their kids. They share 9-year-old Hadrien, 14-year-old Ella-Grace, and 15-year-old Xavier. The prime minister made it clear that separation wasn’t an easy decision. It was something he and his wife had “many meaningful and difficult conversations” about.
The couple met one another when they were children but reconnected in 2002. They married three years later, in 2005. Sophie is a former television host and model who often accompanied him to public events. She also traveled with Trudeau when he went overseas.
Reports indicate the kids will live in Ottawa at Rideau Cottage, where the prime minister has lived since his election in 2015. Sophie has moved out but also remains in Ottawa. She will live at the primary residence occasionally when Trudeau is busy traveling and other times.
Trudeau isn’t the first prime minister to separate from his wife while in office; his father, former PM Pierre Trudeau, also did it. In 1977, the elder Trudeau separated from Justin’s mother, Margaret Trudeau. They divorced in 1984. His mother had an affair with US Senator Ted Kennedy while she was still married, during a 1977 trip to America. The senator was also married at the time. She later left her husband to party with The Rolling Stones.
Political experts don’t believe Trudeau will face any blowback from the separation announcement. Political science professor, Nelson Wiseman, told The New York Times, “Canadian voters don’t care about that.”
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