Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is “still so much love” between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
In an interview on CTV’s Your Morning with host Anne-Marie Mediwake, Gregoire Trudeau was asked about her relaunch into public life outside of politics at age 49, and how she came to the understanding that she wanted her life to look different.
She said the decision to separate while still so centrally in the public eye took “a big load of bravery… to choose authenticity over attachment.”
“It’s not a moment, it’s a growth, it’s an evolution. I have three kids, I’ve been on a co-political path for more than a decade. I’ve experienced incredible things. But, at the same time, I have to make sure – especially in a relationship – like, there’s still so much love between us, and tenderness, and respect,” she said Friday.
“But, we’re taught in a society where marriage is success and divorce is failure, that there’s nothing in between. But life is in between.”
In August 2023, the prime minister and Gregoire Trudeau announced they were separating after 18 years of marriage. In a brief joint statement at the time, they said the decision was reached after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.”
Alongside this international headline-grabbing decision, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the pair had “signed a legal separation agreement,” and that Gregoire Trudeau would no longer be considered the prime minister’s spouse in any official capacity.
While living apart, the Trudeaus have since been co-parenting their three children Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien, and have vacationed together. In the interview, part of a press tour promoting her new book “Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other,” seemed to characterize their decision as choosing to restructure, rather than end their relationship.
“I think that if we do that mature work and effort – it’s not easy, because it takes two to tango – that the kids, you know, they feed off that energy and it’s so constructive and beautiful, because love remains.”
Her book has been billed as an “inspirational self-discovery and wellness book for adults” and explores topics such as self-acceptance, attachment styles, parenting, eating disorders, social media, movement and mental health, with input from experts and prominent Canadians.
Finished and sent in before the separation was announced, the book doesn’t divulge details about their decision, but it does touch on Gregoire Trudeau’s personal experience in that relationship, as a parent, and her family’s exposure to online hate and serious threats, as well as some humorous family memories involving pranks.
As a political power couple for 20 years, the pair had a high public and international profile predating Trudeau’s time in elected office. Once Trudeau ran for, and became, prime minister, Gregoire Trudeau played a prominent role at his side at campaign and world events.
In the interview, the former Quebec TV personality and certified yoga instructor who has used her platform to speak about her experience with eating disorders and female empowerment was asked what advice she’d offer the next woman to step into the role as Canada’s unofficial but de-facto “first lady.”
In response, she said that while she doesn’t think she’s “the wise woman to give the advice,” she has come away with a deep level of empathy and compassion for people who raise kids while serving their country in some way.
“It demands a lot of sacrifices on family life, a lot of sacrifices on personal life, but especially it creates also chronic stress in people, with the polarizing world, with the constant bullying, the constant criticizing,” she said.
“And so you’ve got to be strong. But keep yourself in your authenticity and be truthful. Speak your truth, and hold on to that hat because the winds are strong, my friend.”
Gregoire Trudeau spoke more about how she’s seen ministers and members of Parliament impacted by “incredibly toxic and dangerous… hate speech,” in a separate interview on CTV’s The Social that aired Thursday.
Her assessment of those who hurl these types of attacks is that they are coming from a place of insecurity.
In both CTV appearances, Gregoire Trudeau discussed how she’s worked to separate the public’s perception from the personal, and the choice she’s made to make peace with what she can’t control.
“For me, relationships are a source of nourishment and I have done the work… of facing my trauma, facing my truth, wanting to become the best version of me that I can. Not perfect, messy at times, chaotic times, and it’s OK. But at least I get to dive deeper into who I am, why I have the personality that I do, and this is what I share in the book,” she said.
Asked whether she feels more free now, Gregoire Trudeau said she’s realized that freedom “is a space within you.”
“Closer Together” is one of two books she has been working on. The second is a children’s’ picture book that is said to “draw on Sophie’s own love for nature and her advocacy work in mental health and emotional literacy,” and is set to be published by Penguin Random House in 2025.
Since their split, the prime minister has seldom been asked about his personal life, though a few weeks after the breakup was announced, he said he was grateful for the kind messages he’d received from Canadians and was focused on moving forward. CTV News has asked PMO if the prime minister has read the book.
