By JOHN R. KENNEDY
While former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau is loved up with pop star Katy Perry, ex-wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has opened up about being single this Valentine’s Day.
‘Fine. I’ll admit it. On the surface, being “uncoupled” at 50 on Valentine’s Day doesn’t make me feel amazing,’ she wrote in her latest Closer Together newsletter.
Canada‘s former first lady complained that heart-filled February ‘can feel especially loud’ for people experiencing ‘midlife singlehood’ but suggested that it should not be seen as a failure.
‘Often, it’s a recalibration – a moment where the noise quiets enough for us to hear our own voice again.’
Sophie and Justin announced their separation after 18 years of marriage in August 2023.
Sophie moved in with Dr Marcos Bettolli, an Argentine-born pediatric surgeon at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.
Bettolli’s estranged wife Ana Remonda alleged in her April 26, 2023 divorce petition in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Family Court that her husband had ‘re-partnered with a high-profile individual who attracts significant media attention, and presents significant security considerations, to which the children are exposed while in their father’s care’.
Sophie and Bettoli have since split.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau candidly reflected on being ‘uncoupled’ at the age of 50 ahead of Valentine’s Day
Sophie and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the separation in matching Instagram posts in August 2023 after 18 years of marriage
‘For millions of women (and men!) the answer hasn’t always been simple,’ Sophie wrote in her newsletter.
‘We’ve been taught – sometimes gently, sometimes harshly – that our bodies, our emotions, our authenticity need adjusting to be accepted.
‘When we spend years reshaping ourselves to fit in, our nervous system learns vigilance instead of ease.’
‘In many ways, self-love is being aware of our defense mechanisms and adaptive behaviors.
‘It’s about unlearning them and choosing to change some of our emotional habits.
‘Self-love is a practice. At its core, it’s safety. And safety comes from presence.’
While Sophie muses on love her ex-husband, meanwhile, has moved on, and his new relationship with American pop singer Katy Perry, 41, seems to be going strong.
The couple first sparked dating rumors in July and have since forged a firm bond, frequently spotted out and about together.
Following their split, exclusive Daily Mail photos showed Sophie had moved on with pediatric surgeon Dr Marcos Bettolli in February 2024, but the two have since ended their relationship
Trudeau has since been linked to pop star Katy Perry. they are seen leaving an event at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 20
Perry even made a surprise appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month as she arrived on Trudeau‘s arm.
The songstress announced her split from fiancé Orlando Bloom around the same time as the whispers began – something sources claim she did not ‘expect’.
Katy and Justin’s relationship debut came at her 41st birthday bash in Paris in October, just days after images showed the duo enjoying a steamy boat day.
Appearing on the ‘Arlene is Alone‘ podcast last November, Sophie was asked how she felt about Justin moving on with Katy.
‘I’m very aware that a lot of public stuff out there can be triggers. What I do with it is my decision. The woman I want to become through this is my decision,’ she said.
‘Does that mean I don’t have emotions? That I don’t cry, scream, laugh? No.
‘Especially that I’m a super tender heart, right? But it’s my decision after that, between the emotion and the reaction.’
Sophie praised Justin as a good father to their three children: Xavier, 18, Ella-Grace, 17, and Hadrien, 11.
Grégoire and Trudeau share three children together. Two sons, Xavier, 18, Hadrien, 11 and daughter Ella-Grace, 17
‘I’m definitely not a single mom. I have a partnership with a father who has such deep love and availability to his children.’
In December, Sophie appeared as a special guest on the holiday episode of the French-Canadian version of The Masked Singer, Chanteurs Masqués.
Sophie sang the 1956 classic ‘I Put a Spell On You’ and ‘Faufile,’ a 2017 song by Quebec singer Charlotte Cardin. In the latter, she sings: ‘Everything I love, I break.’