Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is “still a lot of love” between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they navigate their post-separation relationship and co-parent their three children.
In an interview on CTV’s Your Morning with host Anne-Marie Mediwake, Gregoire Trudeau was asked about his re-launch into public life outside of politics at age 49 and how he came to understand that he wanted his life to be different.
She said the decision to separate while they were still so in the public eye took “a huge amount of courage… to choose authenticity over attachment.”
“It’s not a moment, it’s a growth, it’s an evolution. I have three children, I have been on a co-political path for more than a decade. I have experienced incredible things. But, at the same time, “I have to make sure, especially in a relationship, that May there still be a lot of love between us, tenderness and respect,” he said on Friday.
“But in a society where marriage is a success and divorce is a failure, we are taught that there is nothing in between. But life is in the middle.”
In August 2023, the Prime Minister and Grégoire Trudeau announced their separation after 18 years of marriage. In a brief joint statement at the time, they said the decision was made after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.”
In addition to this decision that made international headlines, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the couple 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 co-parented their three children Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien, and have traveled on vacations together. In the interview, part of a press tour to promote his new book “Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other,” he seemed to characterize her decision as a choice 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 dance the tango – the children, you know, feed off that energy and it’s very constructive and beautiful, because love remains.”
Her book has been billed as an “inspiring 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 contributions from experts and prominent Canadians. .
Completed and shipped before the separation was announced, the book does not divulge details about their decision, but does address Gregoire Trudeau’s personal experience in that relationship, as a father, and his family’s exposure to online hate and serious threats, as well as some fun family memories involving pranks.
As a political power couple for 20 years, the couple had a high public and international profile before Trudeau’s time in elected office. Once Trudeau ran for prime minister and became prime minister, Gregoire Trudeau played a prominent role alongside him on the campaign trail and in world events.
In the interview, the former Quebec television personality and certified yoga instructor who has used her platform to speak out about her experience with eating disorders and female empowerment was asked what advice she would offer to the next woman taking on the role. role of unofficial but decisive representative of Canada. -facto “first lady.”
In response, she said that while she doesn’t believe she is “the wise woman to give advice,” she has come away with a deep level of empathy and compassion for people raising their children while serving their country in some way.
“It demands many sacrifices in family life, many sacrifices in personal life, but above all it creates chronic stress in people, with the polarized world, with constant harassment, constant criticism,” he said.
“And that’s why you have to be strong. But stay authentic and be sincere. Speak your truth and hold on to that hat because the winds are strong, my friend.”
Gregoire Trudeau spoke more about how he has seen ministers and members of Parliament affected by “incredibly toxic and dangerous…hate speech,” in a separate interview on CTV’s The Social which aired Thursday.
His assessment of those launching these types of attacks is that they come from a place of insecurity.
In both appearances on CTV, Gregoire Trudeau spoke about how he worked to separate public perception from personal perception and the decision he made to make peace with what he can’t control.
“For me, relationships are a source of nourishment and I’ve done the work… of facing my trauma, facing my truth, wanting to become the best version of myself that I can. It’s not perfect, it’s messy at times, it’s chaotic and it’s “Okay, but at least I can delve into who I am, why I have the personality that I have, and this is what I share in the book,” he said.
When asked if he feels freer now, Gregoire Trudeau said he realized that freedom “is a space inside of you.”
“Closer Together” is one of two books he has been working on. The second is a children’s picture book said to be “based on Sophie’s love of nature and her work advocating for mental health and emotional literacy,” and to be published by Penguin Random House in 2025.
Since their split, the prime minister has rarely been asked about his personal life, although a few weeks after the breakup was announced he said he was grateful for the kind messages he had received from Canadians and was focused on moving forward. . CTV News asked the PMO if the prime minister had read the book.