A fairytale love story that ultimately ended in heartbreak, Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire parted ways in August 2023.
The former Canadian Prime Minister, 53, and ex-television presenter were widely regarded as the most loved-up political power couples, with Justin and Sophie never shying away from public displays of affection.
While Sophie, 49, was never Canada’s ‘First Lady’ – since the country does not grant the spouse of the prime minister the status of ‘premiere dame’ – the glamorous wife of Justin was photographed by his side during overseas trips and official engagements.
Despite being married for a decade by the time Justin assumed office, the ex-couple appeared deeply in love and unable to keep their hands off each other – as fans celebrated their relationship for its authenticity.
Justin’s affectionate gestures, including planting a tender kiss on Sophie’s forehead and cheekily grabbing her behind, often made headlines, as the world collectively swooned over their head-over-heels love.
However, after 18 years of marriage during which they welcomed three children, Justin and Sophie announced they were separating after ‘many meaningful and difficult conversations’ in a joint statement released on August 3, 2023.
And while their relationship was often hailed as the epitome of wedded bliss – Sophie and Justin tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Montreal in 2005 – they both separately indicated their marriage hadn’t always been smooth sailing.
In 2014, Justin was also asked whether he had been unfaithful in his marriage, with the clip from his interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corportation being resurfaced nine years later after his split from Sophie was confirmed.
Justin Trudeau and ex-wife Sophie Gregoire (above) first met during their schooldays; Gregoire was the childhood friend and classmate of Justin’s younger brother Michel, who died in an avalance in 1998 at the age of 23
The ex-couple, who tied the knot in 2005, were widely regarded as the most loved-up political power couples during Trudeau’s tenure as Canada’s Prime Minister
They never shied away from public displays of affection
However, after 18 years of marriage during which they welcomed three children, Justin and Sophie announced they were separating after ‘many meaningful and difficult conversations’ in a joint statement released on August 3, 2023
Speculation about Justin’s alleged infidelity began following the release of his 2014 memoir Common Ground, in which he talks about having a ‘diminished sense of self-worth’ as a result of his parents’s divorce.
Justin’s father Pierre married 22-year-old Canadian activist Margaret Sinclair, who was 29 years younger than him, in 1971.
They finalised their divorce in 1984 but split after six years of marriage, as ‘Flying Pierre’ embarked on a new romance with the ‘First Lady of the Guitar’ Liona Boyd.
Meanwhile, Margaret felt trapped and neglected in her marriage to Pierre – comparing it to living ‘like a patient in a mental hospital no longer considered able to make decisions and cannot be exposed to a harsh light’ in her memoirs.
During his interview with the CBC in October 2014, Justin addressed the infidelity rumours by saying: ‘Our marriage isn’t perfect and we have had difficult ups and downs, yet Sophie remains my best friend, my partner, my love.
‘We are honest with each other, even when it hurts.’
When interviewer Evan Solomons pressed Justin on whether the ‘ups and downs’ he referred to was code for cheating, he replied ‘No’ before clarifying they were the ‘kinds of challenges any marriage goes through’.
He also explained that his ‘very difficult, high-pressured job’ (Justin was elected leader of Canada’s Liberal Party in 2013) would sometimes affect his marriage.
Speculation about Justin’s alleged infidelity began following the release of his 2014 memoir Common Ground, in which he talks about having a ‘diminished sense of self-worth’ as a result of his parents’s divorce
Sophie and Justin on Their wedding day in May 2005
‘Everyone knows how challenging it is to balance family responsibilities with a job that takes me across the country and working extremely hard,’ the dashing Canadian politican continued.
‘There are times when she hates my job and she hates me for loving my job.
‘There are times, there are times when she understands how much of an opportunity and a responsibility it is for us to actually serve this country that has given us so much,’ he added.
TV-presenter-turned yoga instructor Sophie was also asked whether her marriage to Justin had ever endured extramarital relations – but she was far less direct in her response.
Speaking to GlobalNews.ca in 2015, the mother-of-three said: ‘Ask if whatever happened in our lives – I’m not saying it did or didn’t – as if we would answer that.’
Sopie shared that she was ‘almost proud’ of any hardships they endured because ‘we want authenticity, we want truth’ while adding: ‘I’m happy we had to go through that.’
She would, once again, allude to these difficulties in her relationship with Justin while marking their wedding anniversary in May 2022 with a post on Instagram.
‘Together for 19 years, married for 17, we have navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between and it ain’t over,’ she captioned her tribute post.
She would later mark her ex-husband’s nine-year tenure as Canada’s prime minister with an eyebrow-raising Instagram post that barely mentioned Justin by name
‘You all know I keep things honest: long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways.
‘They demand constant work, flexibility, compromise, sacrifice, devotion, patience, effort, and so much more,’ Sophie shared with her followers.
Around the same time, their public appearances together began to dwindle as Sophie retreated from the spotlight – although they attended King Charles’ coronation on May 6, 2023 together.
Three months later, the world’s most endearing political couple had parted ways following several ‘meaningful and difficult conversations’ that brought the curtain down on their 20-year relationship.
Their statement read: ‘We remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build.’
They also called for privacy for the ‘well-being’ of their three children, Xavier, 17, Ella-Grace, 16, and Hadrien, 11.
Since their shock split, Sophie has found love again with Ottawa pediatric surgeon Dr. Marcos Bettolli. The two were seen leaving a ritzy restaurant together just six months her separation from Justin was announced on social media.
Around the same time that Justin resigned as Canada’s prime minister in January – after weeks of pressure from party colleagues amid escalating tensions with Donald Trump – Sophie enjoying a skiing holiday with their children in Red Mountain Resort.
Since their shock split, Sophie has found love again with Ottawa pediatric surgeon Dr. Marcos Bettolli (not pictured here)
She posted an Instagram reel showing her frolicking in the snow in the picturesque Rossland, west Canada mountains.
‘Born to ski!’ Gregoire said in a caption overlaying the dreamy video. ‘Red Mountain slopes, powder and people; you rock! Thank you for an epic time! SHRED RED.’
She would later mark her ex-husband’s nine-year tenure as Canada’s prime minister with an eyebrow-raising Instagram post that barely mentioned Justin by name.
As Justin officially stepped down as the Leader of the Liberal Party on Sunday, Sophie posted one picture of their daughter Ella-Grace, another of a teary-eyed Trudeau, and a third of new Prime Minister Mark Carney and his wife Diana.
She added a lengthy caption about herself, her kids, the Liberal party and its new leader – without mentioning much about her ex-husband’s accomplishments at all.
In fact, when briefly referring to Justin, Sophie described him simply as a ‘loving father [who] was in full service to his country’.
His credentials as her life partner of two decades remained conspicuous in their absence.
