Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau were never going to last
Gabor Maté says she was too authentic to make it work
No question, Justin Trudeau has been taking up a lot of oxygen in recent months, what with the global pop star girlfriend, the topless yacht makeout and the recent visit with Japanese dignitaries that doubled as an Instagram relationship hard launch. But the former PM (who recently made New York magazine’s ranking of divorced dads) isn’t the only one in rebranding mode.
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While her ex redefines cruise-wear, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has been engineering her own next chapter as a wellness and relationship guru on social media. Her content doesn’t deal explicitly with Justin and Katy, but when you’re posting about the nature of healthy anger and what it means to be in a relationship with a narcissist, let’s just say the context is conspicuous.
Last month, Grégoire Trudeau publicly acknowledged Trudeau and Perry on Arlene Dickinson’s podcast, explaining that she chooses to “listen to the music rather than the noise.” Her point was that, of course, seeing the father of your three children get his Teenage Dream on is going to provoke certain emotions, but how you react is still your choice.
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Then, on Tuesday, she hosted an online workshop with Gabor Maté, the doctor and bestselling author of The Myth of Normal, who took a break from his regular schedule of denying ADHD science to explain that Sophie and Justin were never going to make it. “The first time I met you, three years ago now, in Ottawa, I never thought for a second that your relationship would last, because [you were] somebody so close to being themselves,” he remarked.
Maté went on to explain his theory that, when relationships start to break down, you can either choose attachment (i.e., the comfort of the flawed relationship) or authenticity (i.e., being true to yourself). He invoked Hillary Clinton as an example of someone whose attachment tendencies kept her in a marriage with a publicly recognized philanderer.
The implication that Sophie was too authentic to remain in her marriage is a strike against Justin, not to mention a pretty good look for a self-help guru in the making. Mel Robbins, watch your back.
Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
