Sophie Grégoire Trudeau “learned to cut ties” and “not hold on to relationships” after the breakdown of her marriage to the Canadian president.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the former first lady said that mental health strategies helped her deal with her separation from Justin Trudeau in 2023.
“I trained my brain to deal with uncertainty,” he said. “I learned to cut off friendships and not be too attached to life, to others, to relationships.”
Ms Trudeau, 49, said she had done “a lot of self-discipline” in addition to her work as a “yoga and meditation teacher”.
She met Mr Trudeau when the pair were schoolchildren and reunited in 2002 after their paths crossed at a romantic event. In the 18 years of their marriage, they had three children, Xavier James, 17, Ella-Grace, 15, and Hadrien, 10.
Sophie Trudeau says that seeing a breakup as a failure is ’emotionally immature’ and leaves a ‘traumatizing emotional legacy’ to children.
Commenting on the divorce, he said: “I have to say that we are lucky to be in open communication with respect which is important.”
In the podcast, which is linked to her book 2024 Closer Together, Ms Trudeau again explained heartbreak and the idea that “marriage is success, separation is failure, divorce is failure”.
“And the guilt we carry, that if we don’t keep the identity we are praying for, we fail. But if we feel this way, we are not only showing emotional immaturity, but we are leaving a sad legacy for children who don’t have to wear this,” he added.
Ms Trudeau now runs the online Living Room series, which broadcasts shows and interviews with mental health luminaries such as Gabor Mate. Each episode costs $259 (£145) on Ms Trudeau’s website, and includes tips for healing trauma and maintaining healthy relationships.
Speaking at the Reykjavik Global Forum in Iceland, Ms. Trudeau said she had never really felt like the first lady.
“I’ve been Sophie all this time, and I never thought I was the first wife. I have lived my life as I am, and I have adapted to different situations,” he said.
“I started as a journalist before I met my husband. And I was a mental health advocate before I met him. “
In Close Together, a memoir that doubles as a mental health guide, she detailed her battle with an eating disorder during her school years.
She writes that she was afraid of the consequences of breaking the mold and talking about bulimia at the beginning of her television career.
“I had come out of Quebec to tell my story about my eating disorder, which was a disaster because no one really talked about eating disorders,” she said. “I didn’t know what would happen the next day.”
‘Many ways to work’
When asked by The Telegraph if she would enter politics, Ms Trudeau demurred.
“I believe you can serve other people in many different ways,” he said. “And politics is not the only way.
“As I said, I will be serving in my own way. There is no yes or no. I will continue to serve to the best of my ability. There are many ways to serve. “
Trudeau denied reports that he had an extramarital affair in a 2014 interview following the release of his memoir Common Ground.
Asked about her refusal in an interview a year later, Ms Trudeau said the couple had entered into “problems”.
The Trudeau family has a tradition of involvement in politics, with the current Canadian Prime Minister’s father holding office between 1968 to 1979 and 1980 to 1984.
But Sophie is determined not to force her children to follow suit.
Sophie Trudeau wants to ‘celebrate the character’ of her children rather than force them into politics – Mari Sharma/AFP
“I don’t think about it at all,” he said. Ms Trudeau added that she doesn’t think her children will “follow in her footsteps”.
“I think it’s the opposite. I think as parents we should celebrate our children’s personality and try not to put the pressure on them that the world already puts. [on them]whether you are children of political leaders or not.”
Mr Trudeau’s political career is on the wane, with 57 per cent of respondents to a recent poll believing he should resign as Prime Minister.
The rising cost of living, as well as high rents and housing costs, has led to dissatisfaction with his Liberal Party government, which stands at 27 percent in the polls, below the rival Conservatives on 41 percent.
Expand your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for three months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.