Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced he is separating from his wife of 18 years, Sophie Grégoire.
The 51-year old posted on his Instagram account that the pair have had “many meaningful and difficult conversations” and that they have “made the decision to separate.”
“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,” he wrote, adding that for the wellbeing of his three children, Hadrien, 9, Xavier, 15, and Ella-Grace, 14 — “We ask that you respect our and their privacy.”
The Prime Minister’s Office in Ottawa issued a statement confirming the pair had “signed a legal separation agreement,” according to the Canadian public broadcaster CBC.
“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,” Trudeau’s office said.
“Both parents will be a constant presence in their children’s lives and Canadians can expect to often see the family together. The family will be together on vacation, beginning next week.”
According to Trudeau’s official biography, the pair first met as children before reconnecting in 2003 at a charity event.
In 2005, Justin, then 33 and Sophie, then 29, married in front of 170 guests at the Sainte-Madeleine d’Outremont Church in Montreal.
Trudeau opened up about this marriage in his 2014 memoir, “Common Ground” saying his relationship wasn’t flawless.
“Our marriage isn’t perfect, and we have had difficult ups and downs, yet Sophie remains my best friend, my partner, my love,” he wrote.
In an interview before her then-husband was elected as PM, Grégoire admitted that “no marriage is easy”.
“I’m almost kind of proud of the fact that we’ve had hardship, yes, because we want authenticity. We want truth”.
In May last year , Grégoire posted on her socials marking their wedding anniversary — writing that the pair had “navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between and it ain’t over.”
“Long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways,” she added. “They demand constant work, flexibility, compromise, sacrifice, devotion, patience, effort, and so much more. None of us are perfect and so there is no perfect relationship, but love is only true when it keeps you safe, sets you free, and makes you grow.”
Trudeau’s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau also separated from his wife Margaret while he was in office.
Other recent high profile separations
Last month, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Minderoo Foundation Nicole Forrest (nee Maurice) separated from her husband Andrew, billionaire and executive chair at Fortescue. The pair were married for 32 years and share three children.
In January this year, Oasis singer Noel Gallagher announced his separation from his wife, Sara MacDonald, after 22 years of marriage. The couple share two children.
In March, Hollywood actor Reese Witherspoon announced her divorce from Jim Toth after 12 years of marriage. In a joint Instagram statement, the pair wrote: “We have made the difficult decision to divorce. We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together.” The pair had one son together.
American writer and activist Chirlane McCray separated from her husband —former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, after 29 years of marriage. In July, de Blasio told The New York Times “Everything was this overwhelming schedule, this sort of series of tasks. And that kind of took away a little bit of our soul.”
In May this year, after 18 years of marriage, former model and designer, Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce from her actor husband, Kevin Costner. The pair share three children.