Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, announced Wednesday they are breaking up.
“Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate,” said a statement from the prime minister. “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.”
The couple, Justin and sophie asked for privacy out of respect for the children’s well-being.
Justin Trudeau’s office said in a statement following the news that the couple have signed a “legal separation agreement.”
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“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,” his office said.
The office of the prime minister also said that the couple is focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving and collaborative environment.
“Both parents will be a constant presence in their children’s lives and Canadians can expect to often see the family together,” the statement said. “The family will be together on vacation, beginning next week.”
The couple have been married for 18 years and have three children: Xavier, 15, Ella-Grace, 14, and Hadrien, nine.
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The public announcement, which has made headlines around the world, signifies the unraveling of a 20-year relationship that has been of intense focus, and scrutiny, for almost the entirety of their partnership.
The couple, Justin and Sophie met in the summer of 2003, when they hosted a gala with the Starlight Children’s Foundation. It was there that Trudeau realized Grégoire had gone to school with his late brother, Michel, and even dated one of Michel’s friends.
At the time, Trudeau was viewed as one of Canada’s most eligible and famous bachelors. Grégoire, meanwhile, was the daughter of a wealthy Montreal stockbroker.
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