Sophie Grégoire Trudeau Was Never The Same After Her Divorce From Justin (In The Best Way)

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On August 3, 2023, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and Justin Trudeau took the world by surprise by announcing the end of their 18-year marriage. Given how other high-profile political splits have played out over the years, it seemed a given that the former Canadian prime minister's wife would quietly disappear from the public eye. However, the opposite proved true for Sophie because she shone brighter than ever before. She not only defied expectations by making numerous public appearances, but also by being incredibly candid about all her messy feelings from her post-separation life. 

During a May 2024 appearance on the "Next Question with Katie Couric" podcast, Sophie admitted that societal perceptions of marriage as a "success" and divorce as "failure" only made her own split cut deeper. She went on to share a hard truth she had learned, saying, "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." 

In a March 2024 Vogue interview, the former TV host confessed that she had found herself questioning if the blame for their split rested on her shoulders or her ex-husband's, adding, "There's a lot of blaming, when what we're all trying in our relationships and our connections is to heal ourselves or validate our emotions." With Sophie's refreshing honesty about her feelings, becoming more vocal in her mental health advocacy efforts probably felt like a natural next step. However, she didn't just stop there, and also poured her emotions into her 2024 memoir. Although she had her plate full, she still managed to prioritize herself for the first time in years. 

Speaking at the Women in the World (WITW) Summit in 2018, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau reflected on when she'd openly spoken about her past with eating disorders for the very first time. Although the former Canadian prime minister's ex-wife was initially terrified about the prospect of sharing something so deeply personal with the world, she ultimately couldn't have been happier about her decision. "When you share your story and become vulnerable, the ripple effect and the people that you can help along the way is a life lesson," Sophie said, per CNBC. 

She went on to stress the importance of others being equally open about their struggles, saying, "Real change comes from real individuals and real experiences." After her split from Justin Trudeau, Sophie seemingly held those words even closer to her heart, as she ramped up her mental health advocacy efforts. During a November 2024 interview with A Lotus In The Mud, the retired TV show host revealed that mental well-being was a cornerstone of her life, saying, "For me, true success means living with coherence between mind and heart. That coherence requires facing inconvenient truths and being honest with ourselves and others." 

To aid others in their journey to achieving such harmony, Sophie began to talk more freely about her mental health journey in interviews, and regularly posted social media videos on the subject. She also teamed up with experts to host workshops covering a wide variety of topics within the mental health arena. Suffice it to say that we would all like to hear her tips for protecting one's mental health when politics seem overwhelming.

In April 2024, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau continued her quest to stir a positive change in the world with "Closer Together," a memoir and self-help guide based on her life experiences and the opinions of experts. Although it can be easy to think that the book was a means for Sophie to share her side of the story about her split from Justin Trudeau, that wasn't the case, because she kept mentions of him to a minimum. 

Speaking to The Art Of in August 2024, Sophie opened up about her motivation for penning the memoir, saying, "I want to connect." She continued, "And I want to give [away some] of myself as well. So for me this is not just a book — it's a connector and [something] I want people to feel welcomed into." In an April 2024 Chatelaine interview, she admitted that she underwent a complete transformation while she put her thoughts to paper to help others, saying, "Writing it felt like I was re-wiring my brain." 

With the release of her first book, Sophie became an instant best-selling author for the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. According to the Toronto Star, Sophie had another book in the works for Penguin Random House's children's division that would empower the little ones "to be as connected to the great outdoors as they are to their inner emotional landscape." 

Due to the pressures of being married to a world leader, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau couldn't just wear whatever she wanted or let loose with a group of A-listers for several years. However, she got to do all of that and more after her split from Justin Trudeau. Sophie's stunning post-divorce style transformation was obvious when she attended Billboard Canada Women in Music in September 2024. The former TV host turned heads by wearing a skintight blue dress and an edgy leather jacket. 

While attending the Forbes 30/50 International Women's Day gala in March 2024, she went with a flowy one-sleeved green dress that showed off her toned arm. She even got creative with her accessories and donned a statement piece necklace. Although she undoubtedly looked stunning, it was a little hard to believe that she was the same person who once honored the late Queen Elizabeth II at King Charles III's coronation with an incredibly subtle fashion trend. In addition to having stylistic freedom, Sophie also had the freedom to do just about whatever she wanted. In a March 2024 Vogue interview, Huma Abedin recalled how she had invited Sophie to a dinner that included Hillary Clinton and Jennifer Siebel Newsom. 

After enjoying a good meal with good company, Sophie and Abedin accepted Justin Theroux's invitation to go out to a club. For Abedin, the night took a turn when she lost the former Canadian prime minister's ex-wife in the crowded club. While she was mulling over the scary idea that Sophie didn't have security that night, Sophie sent her a selfie in a taxi with supermodel Helena Christensen.

During a 2012 interview with This Mom Loves, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau admitted that she had passed up on social and professional opportunities to tend to her number one priority: her family. After her split from Justin Trudeau, Sophie gained a newfound perspective on the sacrifices that people make for their loved ones. 

In a July 2025 Facebook video, Sophie appeared to be speaking from experience, as she detailed how people tended to sacrifice their well-being for the sake of their loved ones because social messaging had ingrained the idea that saying no would only hurt them and push them away. In the caption, Sophie explained that the messaging was all backwards, writing, "If choosing yourself makes someone walk away, that's not the loss. The real loss is a life spent ignoring your own needs to keep others comfortable." 

Sophie shared a similar sentiment at the 30/50 Summit when she encouraged women not to settle for less to stay in line with societal messaging, saying, "You should expect a maximum of nourishment, presence and help in your life with the people around you. And we shouldn't have to hold it all together as women" (via MSN). Meanwhile, when she spoke to 92ndstreety in May 2024, she admitted that she previously tended to take on multiple tasks at the same time. However, with time, she had learned that we had been wired to think that resting was pointless, even though it was the only means for our bodies and minds to properly process things. And so, she had learned to prioritize breaks more.

During Sophie Grégoire Trudeau's March 2024 Vogue interview, she admitted she was deeply concerned about the impact her high-profile split from Justin Trudeau could have on their three kids. However, they were both trying to counteract that impact by fostering a solid long-term relationship built on emotional maturity. By August 2024, their co-parenting relationship seemingly got much better, as Sophie told The Art Of that they had both grown more empathetic towards each other while they navigated the underlying hurt from their divorce. 

Sophie was also happy to share that she knew that their co-parenting relationship would be filled with laughter for years to come. She and Justin also seemed to have the practical aspects of co-parenting covered with a rather unconventional arrangement. In her Vogue interview, Sophie shared that their communication was at the center of the co-parenting dynamic, divulging, "We don't even have a parental sharing plan. We go along with the kids' schedules, and we keep each other posted." 

According to the National Post, the Trudeaus were prioritizing their children's well-being through "nesting." With this method, their three children would continue to live in their family home with Justin. Meanwhile, Sophie, who had gotten a house nearby, would regularly pop in to tend to them. During a November 2025 appearance on the "Arlene Is Alone" podcast, she hinted that their reported parenting arrangement was working out just fine by saying, "I'm definitely not a single mom. I have a partnership with a father who has such deep love and availability to his children."