Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
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Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (; born April 24, 1975), also known as Sophie Grégoire, is a Canadian retired television host. She was
married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
to Justin Trudeau, the 23rd
prime minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
; the couple separated in 2023. She is involved in charity work, social work, and public speaking focused mainly on the environment, women's issues, and children's issues. She was an ambassador for the WE Charity, which fell into a scandal in 2020.


Early life and education

Grégoire was born on April 24, 1975, in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, as the only child of Jean Grégoire, a stockbroker, and Estelle Blais, a
Franco-Ontarian Franco-Ontarians ( or if female, sometimes known as ''Ontarois'' and ''Ontaroises'') are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2021, according to the Government of Ontario, ther ...
nurse. Her family lived north of the city, in Sainte-Adèle, eventually relocating to Montreal when she was four years old. She was raised thereafter in Montreal's
Mount Royal Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian M ...
suburb, where she was a classmate and childhood friend of Michel Trudeau, the youngest son of Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
and his wife
Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...
and brother of Grégoire's future husband, Justin Trudeau. Grégoire has stated that her "childhood was a happy one", noting that she was a good student who made friends easily and loved sports and the outdoors. Beginning around the age of 17, she struggled with
bulimia nervosa Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-indu ...
. The problem lasted into her early 20s, when she revealed the illness to her parents and then began a two-year period of recovery. She credits therapy, the support of her loved ones, and
yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
with her recovery from the illness. Grégoire attended high school at the private Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie in Outremont. She subsequently attended the Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf before studying commerce at
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
, intending to follow her father's career path, but soon switched to communications studies, and ultimately graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in communications from the
Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...
.


Career and charity work

Grégoire's first job was as a receptionist and assistant at an advertising firm. She was promoted to an account manager, but after three years of working in advertising, public relations, and sales, she decided to attend radio and television school, where she immediately knew, "I had found my calling". After completing her studies there, Grégoire got a job in a newsroom, writing the
news ticker A news ticker (sometimes called a crawler, crawl, slide, zipper, ticker tape, or chyron) is a horizontal or vertical (depending on the language's writing system) text-based display either in the form of a graphic that typically resides in the ...
. A lover of culture, arts, and films, when she became aware of an opening at Quebec television station LCN for an entertainment reporter, she applied and was successful in obtaining the position. In addition to serving as an entertainment reporter for LCN's daily ''Showbiz'' segment, she contributed to segments on ''
Salut, Bonjour! TVA Nouvelles is the news division of TVA, a French language television network in Canada. Programs produced by the division include nightly local and national newscasts branded as ''TVA Nouvelles'', as well as the news magazine program ''JE' ...
'', ''Clin d'œil'', and ''Bec et Museau'' for
TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...
, and hosted Canal Évasion's ''Escales de Rêves'' and Canal Z's ''Teksho''. Grégoire also served as co-host on
CKMF-FM CKMF-FM (94.3 Hertz, MHz) is a French language, French-language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec, owned and operated by Bell Media. The station airs a mainstream rock radio format, format and is the flagship (broadcasting), flag ...
Radio's morning shows and contributed to
Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...
's ''Coup de Pouce''. Additionally, she worked in the mid-2000s as a
personal shopper A personal shopper is a person who helps others shop by giving advice and making suggestions. They are often employed by department stores and boutiques, although some are freelance or work exclusively online. Their focus is usually on clothes, a ...
for upscale department store
Holt Renfrew Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (Trade name, doing business as Holt Renfrew and Colloquialism, colloquially Holt's) is a Economy of Canada, Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. The original William Ashton ...
. She became a certified
yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
instructor in 2012. Grégoire also works as a professional public speaker, focusing primarily on women's issues.


eTalk

In 2005, Grégoire attended a charity function where she met several
CTV Television Network The CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. Launched in 1961 and acquired by BCE Inc. in 2000, CTV is Canada's largest privately owned List of Canadian ...
employees. This led to her being hired in September 2005 as a reporter for '' eTalk'', CTV's Canadian entertainment
news show News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or telev ...
. She served until 2010 as ''eTalk'' Quebec correspondent, and focused her reporting on the philanthropy and activism of celebrities.


Charity

Grégoire is actively involved in charity work, volunteering for several Canadian charities and non-profit organizations. Causes she supports include Sheena's Place and BACA, both of which assist those suffering from
eating disorders An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
; , a drop-in centre for at-risk pregnant mothers;
Dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
's "Pay Beauty Forward" campaign and Self-Esteem Fund, Girls for the Cure; the
Canadian Cancer Society The Canadian Cancer Society () is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. History The Saskatchewan Medical Association formed Canada's first cancer committee in 1929, whi ...
; the
Canadian Mental Health Association The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is a Canadian non-profit mental health organization that focuses on resources, programs and advocacy. It was founded on April 22, 1918, by Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally named ...
; the Women's Heart and Stroke Association; and WaterCan. As part of her work with WaterCan, Grégoire travelled to
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
in October 2006 with her mother-in-law,
Margaret Trudeau Margaret Joan Trudeau ( Sinclair; born September 10, 1948) is a Canadian activist and the mother of Justin Trudeau, the 23rd prime minister of Canada. She married Pierre Trudeau, the 15th prime minister of Canada, in 1971, three years after h ...
, who is the honorary president of the organization. Their trip was featured in a CTV documentary, "A Window Opens: Margaret and Sophie in Ethiopia", which aired in May 2007. Grégoire is the national ambassador for Plan Canada's "
Because I am a Girl Because I Am a Girl is an international movement by the aid organization Plan (aid organisation), Plan. The campaign is made to address the issue of sexism, gender discrimination around the world."Discrimination against girls 'still deeply entrenc ...
" initiative, and the official spokesperson for The Shield of Athena, which helps women and children dealing with
domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
.


Personal life

Grégoire first met Justin Trudeau, the eldest son of Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
, when they were both growing up in Montreal, where Grégoire was a classmate and childhood friend of the youngest Trudeau son, Michel. Grégoire and Trudeau reconnected as adults in June 2003, when they were assigned to co-host a charity ball, and began dating several months later. They became engaged in October 2004, and married on May 28, 2005, in a ceremony at Montreal's Sainte-Madeleine d'Outremont Church. They have three children: Xavier James, Ella-Grace Margaret, and Hadrien Gregoire. Grégoire is reported to have introduced her brother-in-law Alexandre to his future wife Zoë Bedos. After her husband became a Member of Parliament for Montreal's Papineau riding in 2008, Grégoire continued to live in their Montreal home with their children, while Trudeau stayed at a hotel in Ottawa during the week. In June 2013, two months after Trudeau became the leader of the
Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...
, the couple sold their home in Montreal's
Côte-des-Neiges Côte-des-Neiges (, ) is a neighbourhood of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at the geographic centre of the Island of Montreal on the western slope of Mount Royal and is part of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. His ...
neighbourhood and began living in a rented home in the
Rockcliffe Park Rockcliffe Park ( French: ''Parc Rockcliffe'') is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, close to the centre of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1864, organized as a Police village in 1908, and an independent village from 1926, and u ...
area of Ottawa. Grégoire Trudeau's husband, Justin Trudeau, was officially sworn in as the Prime Minister of Canada on November 4, 2015. After the end of the 2015 election, Grégoire Trudeau indicated her preference for the hyphenated surname of "Grégoire-Trudeau", but she switched to using the unhyphenated form in March 2016. Grégoire is fluent in French, English, and Spanish. On March 12, 2020, Grégoire isolated herself at Rideau Cottage, along with her husband and children, after she showed flu-like symptoms during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, shortly after she returned from a speaking engagement in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister's Office announced later that day that she had tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. By March 28, she had recovered. On August 2, 2023, Trudeau and Grégoire's separation was announced. She had been in a relationship with Ottawa surgeon Marcos Bettolli since separating from Justin Trudeau.


"Smile Back at Me"

On January 18, 2016, Grégoire Trudeau made the impromptu decision to sing a work she composed, titled "Smile Back at Me", at the end of a speech in honour of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., and often referred to shorthand as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year. King was the chief spokespers ...
at Ottawa City Hall. Mike Strobel, of the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'', said the crowd gave her a
standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding, often after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. Standing ovations are considered to be a special honor. Often they are ...
. ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
'' pop music critic Ben Rayner said the song was "out of pitch" and "cast serious doubt upon her musical judgment". In ''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
'', Michael Barclay (formerly a music critic), described the song as "fine", although not designed to be sung a capella, and that Grégoire's voice was "surprisingly strong". Remixed versions of the song were released online afterward. Several commenters felt the song was out of place at a memorial to a Black civil rights leader, and also noted the general lack of Black leaders being depicted or included in the event itself. Some commenters noted that she did have training previously in various musical arts.Justin Trudeau’s Wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s Singing Has Made Headlines More Than Once
. She's only sang in public twice though! by Lisa Belmonte, September 07, 2019, narcity.com.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregoire Trudeau, Sophie 1975 births Canadian people of French descent Canadian infotainers Canadian Roman Catholics Canadian women television journalists Canadian social workers Canadian women television hosts Canadian environmentalists Canadian feminists Ecofeminists Living people People from Mount Royal, Quebec Spouses of prime ministers of Canada
Sophie Sophie is a feminine given name, another version of Sophia, from the Greek word for "wisdom". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Soph ...
Université de Montréal alumni Philanthropists from Quebec CTV Television Network people People from Laurentides