There seem to be many rocky relationships among politicians this year, and we’re not just talking about the infamous affair between MPs Tan Chuan-Jin and Cheng Li Hui.
In May 2023, Finland’s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, had just announced a joint divorce with her husband after their marriage of three years.
Most recently, on 3 August 2023, another Prime Minister made an Instagram post announcing his separation from his wife of 18 years.
That person would be none other than Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Justin and Sophie Promise to Remain A Close Family After Separation; Also Urged the Public to Respect Their Privacy.
The split between Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, marked the end of the couple’s high-profile relationship that began in 2005.
In his Instagram Post, Trudeau said that after “many meaningful and difficult conversations” with Sophie, the two decided to end their marriage.
However, he also reassured the public that the couple would “remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build”.
The pair have also urged the public to respect their privacy for the well-being of their three children, Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien Trudeau.
The Former Couple Were Previously Childhood Friends Who Reconnected As Adults
Trudeau first met Sophie Grégoire when they were both children growing up in Montreal, Canada, in 1987.
The two reunited in 2003 to co-host a charity event in Montreal, with Sophie as a soon-to-be TV host. The pair started dating shortly after, eventually tying the knot in 2005.
Ever since Trudeau stepped into his role as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada in 2015, he has been extremely outspoken about his love for Sophie. At that time, their marriage had been going strong for about a decade.
A photo of the couple embracing was featured in Vogue Magazine’s January 2016 issue, with Trudeau saying that he “shocks some with his public displays of affection toward his wife” in his featured article.
However, their relationship was not always smooth-sailing.
In his 2014 autobiography, Trudeau said, “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.”
Sophie had also made an Instagram post in May 2022 detailing the challenges of their marriage and how the two have “navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between”.
Despite their seemingly perfect relationship, Sophie and Trudeau’s public appearances with each other had begun to dwindle in recent years, hinting at the possible event of their separation.
Trudeau’s separation from his wife draws an uncanny parallel to his father’s marriage and subsequent divorce.
Justin’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was the 19th Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. In 1971, Pierre quietly married Justin’s mother, Margaret Trudeau, who was 29 years his junior.
In 1977, when Justin was five years old, Pierre and Margaret began their separation from each other. When his divorce was finalized in 1984, Trudeau became the first Canadian Prime Minister to become a single parent due to divorce.
With Justin Trudeau’s recent announcement of going separate ways with Sophie, he will become the second Prime Minister in Canada’s history to separate from his spouse during his term in office.