On this spring snowstorm day, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau arrives at the Le Germain hotel, accompanied by her new agent. Very elegant in her jumpsuit, she seems in a hurry: “How long will this interview last? », she asks. In full promotion of his book Between us – Know each other better, love each other betterthe agenda is full.
She will be at Everybody talks about it on April 21. There is the launch of her book in Montreal, then she will be on a promotional tour in Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Boston and Washington. Then it will be Paris in May, where interviews are already planned in the French capital with star journalist and host Léa Salamé on France Inter as well as with the magazine Paris Match.
Without delay, we dive into the heart of the matter: his separation from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The couple announced the news on August 2, 2023 on Instagram. “We are never prepared because deep down, we are human beings. We love each other, we have a family united by love and it’s an extremely difficult decision,” she says. The day of the announcement, the family was reunited with the three children, Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien. “We were all as a family, together, we were playing, it was a day where it was essential for us to be together and to understand that what is important in life is not the perception that the world has of us, but to live in the integrity of our own decisions. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
Integrity and authenticity have always guided Sophie’s life. “I realized over 20 years ago, when I shared that I suffered from an eating disorder, that it had given a direction full of integrity to my life. And I’ve always looked for that in every decision I’ve made. »
She emphasizes that it is important to her to tell the truth. “I say that, but it’s still early to have perspective on all these years. I’m like everyone else, trying to sort things out in my own life. I’m learning, trying to be the best version of myself. »
The notion of a couple needs to be redefined, she believes. “We dramatize our relationships so much… we have two vocabulary words to define them: divorce or separation, success or failure. What are we teaching our children? », she asks.
A couple can last in love without being involved from a sexual or romantic point of view. We could change the relationship, restructure it.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
A first book
In this first book, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau recounts her personal experiences and her journey, from her childhood to today. Why did she keep the name Trudeau? “It’s a question that I only get asked here in Quebec and I wonder if the question would be asked of another woman in the public sphere,” she asks. Yes, the question would be asked of any married Quebecer who added the last name of her (ex)husband, because it is not the custom here where one keeps their last name (unlike the rest of Canada).
Moreover, journalist Mattie Kahn, from the magazine Vogue, also asked this question, in his article published in the American edition of the April magazine. Since the election of Justin Trudeau in 2015, many media outlets around the world have used the name Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. It is therefore the one who also appears on his book also published in France, the United States and the rest of Canada, but only the name Grégoire is found on the website of his agent in Quebec. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau ends up responding that this is the name with which she is known in international public life. “The most important thing is Sophie,” she said. Simply Sophie. »
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
“His name on the book is his choice. The question is legitimate and she chose to publish it under the name Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the name by which she is known,” explains Sophie Banford, general director and publisher of KO Éditions, which publishes the book.
In Between us, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau addresses themes that are dear to her: mental health, emotional education, the bonds of attachment from our childhood, adolescence, self-knowledge and love. She interviewed experts like Dr Gabor Maté, the Dr Gordon Neufeld, journalist Liz Plank, the DD Stephanie Leonard. “This book is an extension of who I am, the decisions I have made, the obstacles I have faced. It is my passion for neuroscience that allows us to better understand how our brain works. These are also years of learning and my personal curiosity. I love people, I’m an only child, I look for authentic connections, and I hope that this book will help people to have a better understanding of themselves,” she says.
A unique journey
Born on April 24, 1975, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau grew up in nature in Sainte-Adèle, in the Laurentians, until the age of 4. She then moved to Montreal where she attended schools in Outremont, CEGEP in Brébeuf and the University of Montreal, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications. After working in an advertising agency and in public relations, she became a columnist and host at TVA/LCN, then at CTV.
She recounts in the book her meeting with Justin Trudeau. They had known each other as children, and met again when Sophie was in her twenties, at a fundraising event. During a dinner in Montreal, he said to her: “I am thirty-one years old. I’ve been waiting for you for thirty-one years. What if we skipped the phase of my girlfriend and we started right away with my fiancee ? “, she writes in her book. They were married in Montreal in 2005. Justin Trudeau became the 23e Prime Minister of Canada on November 4, 2015.
PHOTO BLAIR GABLE, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and their children, Ella-Grace, Xavier and Hadrien, August 15, 2021
Sophie has been the anchor for her three children since their birth. She also writes that she was present almost every day of their lives and that she sacrificed part of her professional career to raise them.
My children are a priority, and I will never regret having been there. What people see, the formal events, the chic outfits and high heels, that was 2% of my life.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
“It was part of my life four or five times a year, but it wasn’t my life. For these moments, I have a lot of gratitude because it allowed me to live unique experiences from which we learn a lot,” she believes.
The woman will be 50 next year. “It will be with pride and health. I am an athlete, I love to move and I love to push my physical and psychological limits,” confides the certified yoga teacher and spokesperson for Filleactive. Bachelor ? “I don’t see myself as single. I see myself as the woman I am, confident, confident, sensitive, courageous. »
She has projects, including a children’s book that will be launched in 2025. “It’s a different chapter of my life. I am able to embrace uncertainty because I know I am doing the right thing. I have confidence, not every day, but I know what I have to offer. »
Between us – Know each other better, love each other better
KO Éditions
293 pages