Sophie Grégoire & Justin Trudeau Are Locked In A 'Messy' Post-Divorce Relationship

When most high-level politicians call it quits with their partners, they both usually remain pretty tight-lipped to avoid any blowback. However, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau apparently doesn't subscribe to this notion because she was refreshingly honest about her complex feelings surrounding the end of her 18-year marriage to Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while speaking to The Art Of in 2024. Among other things, Sophie admitted that she couldn't tear her eyes away from the glaring issues in their marriage at one point. 

However, the former TV host still found it incredibly difficult to walk away from their life together because she was worried about the grave impact that a highly publicized split like theirs would have on the Trudeaus' three children. When Sophie appeared on CBC's "The Current" in April 2024, she shared an update on how they were co-parenting their kids, confirming, "We are still bound by respect and love, and we have each other's backs and minds and hearts." However, she wasn't afraid to confront the fact that their divorce brought about a difficult adjustment period for all concerned. 

According to the former spouse of the prime minister, "Sometimes it gets messy, like, you know, in all family life. And it should be, because it kind of makes us appreciate the better times." Likewise, in her chat with The Art Of, Sophie acknowledged that although she and Justin gradually became more empathetic to each other when they started co-parenting, the hurt from their breakup was still very much present. We wanted to better understand the Trudeaus' complicated relationship dynamics, so The List reached out to Kimberly Miller, founder and chief divorce educator, PartWise, for her expert perspective. 

During Kimberly Miller's exclusive chat with The List, she pointed out that high-profile divorces like Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's were considerably tougher to tackle because they had to protect their children's well-being while simultaneously dealing with their own complex feelings about the split. "The focus shifts from simply dividing assets and cash flow responsibilities to protecting a child's well-being and sense of stability," the divorce educator explained. "Parents must navigate issues like custody arrangements, parenting schedules, communication strategies, and long-term decisions such as education and healthcare." According to Miller, children can easily recognize when their divorced parents are at odds too. 

So, it's imperative that co-parents like the Trudeaus learn to communicate effectively. However, the former spouses have apparently tried to make their breakup easier on their three children by using a co-parenting method called "nesting." Following their shocking split announcement in August 2023, the Canadian media claimed that their kids would remain under their father's roof while their mother would get a place nearby. Whenever the politician had to take one of his frequent work trips, his ex-wife would live in his house and be the primary caregiver. 

This unconventional decision undoubtedly proved that Justin and Sophie Trudeau were committed to their kids despite their split. Of course, their arrangement also gave Grégoire some extra space to pursue all the projects that have been keeping Sophie busy amidst her split from her ex-husband Justin. Although they have tried to make the end of their 18-year marriage as amicable as possible, it's still hard to ignore all the tragic details of Justin and Sophie Trudeau's divorce.