Who Is Justin Trudeau's Wife? All About Sophie Grégoire Trudeau

After nearly two decades together, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announced their separation in 2023

After 18 years of marriage, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau are splitting up.

The couple, who wed in 2005 and share three children, announced their separation on Aug. 2, 2023, with the prime minister writing in an Instagram statement, "Hi everyone, Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversation, we have made the decision to separate."

The Canadian Prime Minister's office also confirmed the news to PEOPLE and shared that the family "will be together on vacation, beginning next week."

During their marriage, Trudeau credited his wife with helping him to be a better father, leader and feminist. He told Vox in 2016 that he teaches his children about gender equality by "showing that I’m attentive and respectful and very much in a partnership with Sophie as much as we are in a marriage."

He added, "We disagree, and sometimes it's because I'm right and sometimes it's because she's right, and there's a relationship amongst equals there."

Related: Justin Trudeau Announced as Special Guest on New 'Canada's Drag Race' Spin-off

Gregoire was by Trudeau's side when he was elected in 2015 and again in 2021.

"Sophie: 12 years ago when we decided to be involved together in politics, it's because we wanted to defend our values, because we wanted to contribute to build a stronger Canada. And since the beginning, we did that together," he said during his reelection victory speech. "Thank you."

From her career in entertainment to their recent separation, here's everything to know about Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.

They met when they were very young but didn't date right away

Gregoire and Trudeau met when they were kids, as she was a classmate of his youngest brother, Michel. Sophie recalled to Maclean's in 2005 that she would play at the Trudeaus' home as a child and always had a crush on the future politician.

"They had a really cool pool with a trapeze and ropes and we could play Tarzan for hours," she said. "We would hide in the closets to have our first kiss."

The pair reconnected as adults when they co-hosted a fundraising event in 2003, but Trudeau wasn't ready for anything serious at the time. When Gregoire emailed him after the meeting, he didn't respond.

"I got the email, and I said, 'Nice. Okay. Good.' And I didn't answer it," he recalled. "I didn't delete it, I just decided, 'No, I'm better off not starting anything that I'm not willing to go through with.' "

They had their first date at a karaoke bar

When she didn’t receive a response, Gregoire dismissed the notion of dating Trudeau. But a few weeks later, they ran into each other by chance, and Trudeau realized he wanted to be with her. Gregoire told Maclean's that she played hard to get: She wouldn't give him her number and told him to email her.

Trudeau emailed her that night, and the pair went on their first date to an Afghan restaurant, then to a karaoke bar, where they sang Elton John and Beatles songs.

While the couple were walking down the street after karaoke, Trudeau walked headfirst into a pole. "I thought, 'Oh my God. You nerd!' " Gregoire said. "And he kept explaining for 30 minutes, 'Sophie, Sophie, I never do this.' "

On Oct. 18, 2004, what would have been the late Pierre Trudeau's 85th birthday, the couple got engaged after visiting the Trudeau family tomb in Saint-Rémi-de-Napierville, Quebec, and getting spa treatments at a luxury hotel.

"He really went out of his way," Gregoire said of the proposal. "There were candles and rose petals everywhere. I felt like I was a princess."

They got married in 2005

Trudeau and Gregoire married on May 28, 2005, in a traditional Catholic ceremony at Sainte-Madeleine d'Outremont Church in Montreal. CBC News reported that as the bride entered the church, she told the crowd outside, "I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

Their reception featured a live band, a DJ and a meal spread that included Alberta beef, local cheeses, organic vegetables and assorted desserts — and they kept the guest list limited to their families and friends. Trudeau told Maclean's: "We knew we didn't want to go the route of inviting dignitaries and prime ministers or anything like that. For me, the guest list was either going to be under 200 or over 1,000 — and there was no way it was going to be 1,000."

The party was simple and elegant, but Gregoire had one request that made it stand out from most other weddings: She didn't want a wedding cake. "I find that people never eat it," she said. "You take this tacky picture cutting the cake. So I said, 'No! Let's do something different!' " They opted for a myriad of desserts, teas and coffee instead.

They have three children

Trudeau and Gregoire share three children: sons Xavier James and Hadrien Gregoire and daughter Ella-Grace.

Their eldest child, Xavier, was born on Oct. 18, 2007. They welcomed their second child Ella-Grace on Feb. 5, 2009. Five years later, their youngest child Hadrien arrived on born Feb. 28, 2014.

In 2005, Trudeau told Maclean’s that he wanted "at least three" children — though at the time, he and Gregoire didn't see eye to eye.

Related: Justin Trudeau Celebrates Narrow Election Victory with Wife and Kids

"Sophie was an only child so she says one is just fine, two is good, too, but three, you're starting to push it a little bit," he said. "But I'm very confident that once we get into it, I'll be able to convince her that three is fine."

She's an entertainer by trade

In addition to her extensive charity work, Gregoire has had an eclectic and illustrious career of her own.

Fluent in French, English and Spanish, she began her career in advertising, working her way up from receptionist to account manager at a marketing firm, but felt herself drawn to other endeavors. "I decided to go to radio and TV school. I had always felt my communication skills were my best asset,” she told author Erica Diamond in 2011. “The moment I stepped foot into school, I knew I was home. I felt most like myself. I had found my calling."

Her next job was writing news ticker items, which she described as "the worst job ever." When her company, Canadian news channel LCN, had an opening for an entertainment reporter, she went for it. During this period, she also worked as a personal shopper for the luxury store Holt Renfrew.

In 2005, Gregoire attended a charity event where she met several CTV Television Network staffers, leading her to become a correspondent for CTV's eTalk, an entertainment news show.

Gregoire will soon add author to her résumé, too. In May 2023, CBC News reported Sophie is set to publish two wellness-focused books in the coming years: Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other in 2024 and a children's picture book in 2025.

Her role as first lady was never formalized

Trudeau was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada on Nov. 4, 2015. A few months later, he said he didn't believe that Sophie's role as first lady should be formalized, per the Canadian Press.

In May 2016, Sophie told the Quebec newspaper Le Soleil that she could use more help keeping up with her engagements, invitations and overall efforts — on top of raising three children — noting that she had one single assistant. Her remarks garnered criticism from Trudeau’s political opposition, but he was unfazed.

When later asked what the role of a prime minister's spouse should be, Trudeau said, "There are various different families that have different abilities so this obviously should be flexible." He added: "I’m very proud of everything she’s done throughout the country and she will continue to offer her participation. ... We want to make sure that she will continue to be able to do the work she does."

For her part, Gregoire — who was criticized again in the following months for allegedly accepting gifts from designers, per Canada’s Global News — said she was happy to do all of the hard work that comes with being a prime minister's spouse.

"If you’re in power, or you’re in a position of responsibility, and you think that people are there for you — it's the opposite," she told Global News ahead of the 2015 election. "We're there to serve them. And that's how I want my children to be brought up."

Trudeau defended her from a heckler

In September 2021, Trudeau defended Gregoire after a heckler made a vulgar remark and called her a sexist slur. Though she wasn't present at the time, Trudeau responded, "Isn't there a hospital you should be going to bother right now?" in reference to the protests over the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine regulations that occurred in front of hospitals throughout Canada.

Trudeau later addressed the retort, telling reporters, "I think Canadians know that I have pretty thick skin and I am able to take all sorts of different abuse, especially if it means that someone is not somewhere else hassling frontline health workers or vulnerable Canadians. But he went after my family, he said hateful, misogynistic things about my wife."

He added that while he "signed up for this" in becoming a public figure, his family did not. "My family believes deeply in what I’m doing and put up with an awful lot," he said. "But everyone has limits and I will always be there to try and push back when someone crosses these lines."

She raises awareness for eating disorders and anxiety

Gregoire has been open about her recovery from the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, which she said began in her teens. "Addictions are biochemical imbalances of the brain, and binging and purging is a sign of a greater emotional wound. Eating was my only way of controlling my life, or so I thought," she told Erica Diamond in 2011. "When you are addicted or suffering from a mental illness, you think you’re in complete control. But the opposite is true. You are, in fact, completely out of control."

She is also a national volunteer for the Canadian Mental Health Association, and in May 2023, she partnered with the organization to encourage others to share their own struggles with mental health "to build more compassion and more empathy for one another."

She's pals with A-listers and royals

In addition to rubbing elbows with world leaders like Prince William, Kate Middleton, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, Sophie is also pals with A-list stars.

In a since-deleted Instagram post, Emma Watson described her joy at riding a Vespa with Sophie during Watson's visit to Ottawa, Ontario, to promote her HeForShe campaign in 2016. According to Global News, Watson wrote that meeting Grégoire was "definitely a highlight of my year."

Related: See Notable Figures Who Paid a Visit to the Late Queen Elizabeth II As She Lies in State

Sophie is also a close friend of Meghan Markle and appeared on her podcast Archetypes in November 2022. In the interview, Meghan said she met Sophie when she was filming Suits in Toronto, noting that Sophie was a calming presence in light of the media scrutiny she was facing.

She and Trudeau announced their separation in August 2023

In August 2023, the Canadian Prime Minister shared the news of their separation on Instagram.

"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," Trudeau wrote in the announcement." For the well-being of our children, we ask that you respect our and their privacy. Thank you."

The Canadian Prime Minister's office confirmed the news to PEOPLE, saying in a statement that Trudeau and Sophie have "signed a legal separation agreement."

"They have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken, and will continue to do so moving forward," the statement said.

During a May 2024 appearance on the Next Question With Katie Couric podcast, Sophie admitted that though she and Trudeau are "still bound by love and respect and smiles and tears," their separation has been tough.

“It hurts deeply, because in a way we have these two words in our language. You know, marriage is 'success.' Separation and divorce is 'failure,' " she said. "But life happens in between. And we dramatize our relationships because we are insecure, we are afraid to be abandoned, we are afraid to be alone as human beings. It is not in our nature to be alone and just living alone."

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