CANADIAN PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU AND HIS WIFE SOPHIE SEPARATE AFTER 18 YEARS OF MARRIAGE

Thu 03 August 2023:

After 18 years of marriage, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have announced their separation.

The couple asked for privacy and stated that their choice was the result of “many meaningful and difficult conversations” in remarks shared on Instagram on Wednesday.

Trudeau, 51 and Sophie, 48 got married in May 2005 and have three children together – Xavier, 15, Ella-Grace, 14 and Hadrien, nine.

“As always, 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 said. “For the well-being of our children, we ask that you respect our and their privacy.”

A statement from the prime minister’s office said the couple have signed a legal separation agreement.

An official familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency that the couple would have joint custody of their children. Trudeau and the children will continue to live at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, the prime minister’s official residence, where he has lived since 2015.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau: TV presenter to First Lady of Canada

Sophie and Trudeau’s story is often described as a storybook marriage that united two rising Canadian celebrities, the ambitious son of an iconic former prime minister and a glamorous television host in Quebec.

Based on their autobiography, ‘Common Ground’, the couple began dating in 2003. They got engaged in 2004 and married in 2005 in a mesmerising ceremony in Montreal’s Sainte-Madeleine d’Outremont church.

Even after marrying Trudeau in 2005, Sophie held a prominent place in Canadian society and actively advocated for women’s rights and mental health awareness. She also serves as a patron for various charitable organisations.

Trudeau himself has openly acknowledged his wife’s crucial role in shaping his progressive beliefs. It includes advocating for gender equality through actions like appointing a gender-balanced cabinet and prioritising women’s empowerment in Canada’s foreign policy.

In recent years, Gregoire Trudeau has curtailed joint appearances with her husband and signs of stress were clear. The two were seen together publicly at Canada Day events in Ottawa last month.

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 ain’t over”.

She went on: “Long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways.”

Trudeau is the second prime minister to announce a separation while in office.

His father, Pierre Trudeau, and mother, Margaret Trudeau, separated in 1979 and divorced in 1984 during the elder Trudeau’s final year in the prime minister’s office.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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