Justin Trudeau’s ex-wife shared her healthy perspective on the former Canadian Prime Minister’s highly publicized romance with pop star Katy Perry.
Sophie Grégoire, who was married to Trudeau for 18 years, appeared on an episode of the podcast Arlene is Alone: The Single Life on Wednesday, where she revealed how she has been coping with the news of her ex-husband’s new relationship.
After speaking about a range of topics, including mental health and family dynamics, host Arlene Dickinson directly addressed Trudeau’s relationship with Perry, telling Grégoire, “I don’t know how you stay cool... and I really admire it because I would probably not be that.”
“We’re human beings, and stuff affects us. Normal,” Grégoire responded. “How you react to stuff is your decision. I choose to try to listen to the music instead of the noise.”
Grégoire, 50, split with Trudeau, 53, in August 2023. Together they share three children: Xavier, 18; Ella-Grace, 16; and Hadrien, 11.
Trudeau confirmed rumors that he and 41-year-old Perry, who ended her engagement and near-decade-long relationship with actor Orlando Bloom in June, were an item when they appeared together on a red carpet after Perry’s cabaret birthday party in Paris late last month.
“I’m very aware that a lot of public stuff out there can be triggers. We’re humans—what I do with it is my decision," Grégoire said on the podcast. “The woman I want to become through this is my decision.”
“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?” she added.
The television host and public speaker shared that she doesn’t believe it was helpful to be reactive to the situation.
“It’s my decision after that, between the emotion and the reaction. I let myself feel,” Grégoire explained. “I’ll let myself be disappointed by someone, I’ll let myself be angry, be sad. And I know for a fact how important it is, as a mental health advocate, to feel those emotions.”
“You can stay in that reactive mode, but you’ll suffer the consequences,” she continued.
Trudeau’s messy “midlife crisis,” as an insider in his camp has described his Perry era to Page Six, may be indicative of him following in his father’s footsteps.
His father, Pierre Trudeau, also a former Canadian Prime Minister, had dated celebrities Barbara Streisand, Kim Cattrall and Margot Kidder before his death in 2000.
“I don’t think anyone who knows him is surprised that Justin would date someone famous,” the insider said. “It does echo his father. It’s in his DNA to do this.”
