Sophie Trudeau ‘moved on with a pediatric surgeon’ months before her separation from Canadian PM Justin was announced, claims ex-wife who was married to the Argentinian doctor and father-of-two for 22 years

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau “re-partnered” with an Ottawa pediatric surgeon months before her shock divorce from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was announced, according to allegations in a divorce claim against the doctor.

The Trudeaus revealed on August 2, 2023 that they had legally separated after 18 years of marriage and three children together.

Their reasons for the split were not made clear, but the couple said at the time that it came after “many difficult conversations.”

However, this has since been reported by Canadian media and others The National Postthat by the time their decision to part ways was announced to the world, Sophie had already begun a relationship with Ottawa-based pediatric surgeon Dr. Marcos Bettolli.

In a divorce petition filed on April 26, 2023, Dr. Bettolli’s ex-wife Ana Remonda that he had “re-partnered with a high-profile individual who attracts significant media attention and poses significant security concerns.”

The person was not named in court documents, but The National Post claimed it had been confirmed that Ms Remonda’s claim relates to 48-year-old Sophie.

Dr. Bettolli, 48, works at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and also teaches at the University of Ottawa’s medical school.

He completed his medical studies at the Catholic University of Cordoba, Argentina, according to his University of Ottawa biography website.

The doctor moved to Canada in 2004 before becoming educational leader for the university’s Pediatric Surgery undergraduate program in 2010.

In 2014, he was promoted to Associate Professor and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC).

His ex-wife Mrs Remonda, a stay-at-home mother, has said in her divorce petition that she takes “no position” on her ex-partner’s personal life.

However, she insisted that the new relationship had resulted in unspecified safety concerns “to which the children are exposed while in the care of their father” and requested an injunction to ensure the privacy and protection of their two children .

“Ana had thought that the parties had reached an agreement that the (children) would not interact with the new partner, but Marcos has not respected that and it has caused discomfort and anxiety to the (children),” she allegedly claimed in the petition.

But Dr. Bettolli emphasized in his response to the divorce claim that his ex-wife’s attitude towards his relationship with Sophie “is not in the best interests of the children.”

He is said to have alleged that Ms Remonda threatened to return to Argentina, where they were both born, if the new relationship was exposed.

Dr. Bettolli and his ex-wife separated in January 2020 after 22 years of marriage.

The October National Post report made it clear that none of the allegations in the divorce filing have been proven in court and the case is still ongoing. At the time of writing, it is unclear whether any progress has been made.

Ms. Remonda’s attorney, Katherine Cooligan, and Dr. Bettolli, Gil Rumstein, declined to comment to the publication, while Sophie could not be reached for comment.

MailOnline has contacted Katherine Cooligan, Dr. Bettolli, Gil Rumstein and the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada for comment.

In April, Sophie, who became “fast friends” with Meghan Markle in 2016 when the Duchess of Sussex lived in Canada, will teach yoga at a solar eclipse wellness retreat weekend in Ontario.

Tickets cost from £450 for two nights and the event promises to bring guests ‘closer together as Mother Nature shows us the beauty in the darkness’, according to The times.

The retreat also includes meditation and mantra chanting with a spiritual practitioner, according to The National Post.

Meanwhile, the Trudeaus’ three children will continue to live with the prime minister at Rideau Cottage after their split, while Sophie has moved to another home in Ottawa.

Over the years, the couple has shared candid reflections on the “challenges” of marriage and the difficulties of balancing family with the demands of the top job.

Some have speculated that such statements – as well as a series of testy conversations between the couple on television – may have led to problems in the prime minister’s marriage.

Following the announcement, a video went viral on social media that appeared to show an awkward altercation between the Prime Minister and his wife.

The video shows the two kissing in front of a camera while sharing a Canada Day message from the Ottawa Food Bank Farm in 2020.

At the end of the video, the pair look at each other and Justin leans in for a kiss. He whispers something to his wife as she leans forward. She kisses him back, but quickly turns around and looks at something off camera.

Justin also steps back, looks around and opens his stance before the clip cuts.

At another point, Sophie was seen in front of the cameras wiping her husband’s outstretched hand as she received her Covid jab.

The two were filmed together in April 2021 receiving their first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Ottawa.

Justin got his shot first, with his wife holding his hand tightly the entire time. As Sophie’s arm was prepared for the injection, her husband offered a hand for support.

Sophie turned around, hand on her leg, and smiled, but waved her hand dismissively. The Prime Minister withdrew his hand and looked at the camera with open palms.

The couple laughed off the interaction and the playful encounter continued to be positively received online.

Two years later, Justin and his wife were seen together at the king’s coronation. As they walked hand in hand, the Prime Minister looked at his wife and appeared to ask her to smile. She looked away with a slight smile on her face.

It came six months after a podcast interview with Meghan Markle, in which the host introduced Sophie as someone who knew all about “crushing the guilt of expectations” in her role.

Sophie had a “full plate” while in the public eye as a parent and husband after being married to Justin for 18 years, the Duchess claimed in the podcast.

Sophie agreed, saying about the guilt of being a woman and having to play multiple roles: “I think we’ve learned to impose that on ourselves. A little girl is not born feeling guilty about being a girl.

‘We learn it. And that is completely unacceptable. As I started to become an older girl in early adulthood, I realized that we often define ‘freedom’ as a way to be free from the world, but it is really a way to be free in the world.”

She added: ‘Women on this planet are still the core of the family, they still carry the majority of the housework, contribute to the well-being of the family and most of the decisions regarding the children.

“But I think we are all that lioness, we all have that within us, and we all long to be free in who we are.” During the approximately hour-long podcast, Sophie never mentioned marital problems.

In the past, the couple has often been very candid with their Instagram posts, sharing tender reflections on the challenges of long-term relationships.

In a September 2020 post on Instagram, Sophie wrote: ‘Our first date was 17 years ago… we’re not that young anymore, but what an adventure it’s been.

‘Despite all the ups and downs, you are still my person. I love you. #TBT to a quiet moment we shared somewhere along the way.”

The couple had been married since 2005 and have three children, the youngest of whom is nine.

Sophie was a childhood friend and classmate of Justin’s younger brother Michel, who died in an avalanche in 1998 at the age of 23.

Justin and Sophie started dating in 2003 after reconnecting as adults, and were engaged shortly after.