Are these the signs that Justin Trudeau’s marriage was on the rocks? From an awkward TV kiss with wife Sophie to discussing their marital ‘ups and downs’ – the hints that all was not well with the couple when they split after 18 years

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday announced the shock divorce from his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, after 18 years of marriage.

The reasons for the split were not clear, but the pair said it came after “many difficult conversations.”

Their three children continue to live with the Prime Minister at Rideau Cottage, while Sophie has moved to another house in Ottawa.

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

Following the announcement on Wednesday, a video went viral on social media that appeared to show an awkward exchange between the prime minister and his wife.

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

The pair look at each other and Justin leans in for a kiss and whispers something to his wife.

She kisses him back, but quickly turns and looks at something off-camera.

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

At another point, Sophie was seen in front of cameras wiping her husband’s proffered hand while getting her Covid shot.

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

While Sophie’s arm was being prepared for the injection, her husband offered a hand for support.

Sophie turned, 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.

In the past, the couple came up with their posts on Instagram and shared 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 was.

“Through 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 have been married since 2005 and have three children, the youngest of whom is nine.

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

Justin and Sophie began dating in 2003 after reconnecting as adults and were engaged a short time after.

Reflecting on their time together, Sophie posted photos of the pair as children in May last year.

“We do look alike, don’t we?” she wrote.

“Together for 19 years, married for 17 years, we’ve navigated sunny days, bad storms and everything in between and it’s not over yet,” said the retired television host.

“You all know I’m being honest: long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways.

“They demand constant work, flexibility, compromise, sacrifice, dedication, patience, effort and much more.

“None of us are perfect and so there is no perfect relationship, but love is only true if it keeps you safe, sets you free and allows you to grow. Omnia Vincit Amor.’

Love conquers all, says the Latin.

In his 2014 autobiography, Common Ground, the Prime Minister opened up about some of the challenges of juggling family responsibilities with the top job.

He wrote: ‘Our marriage is not perfect and we have had some difficult ups and downs, but Sophie remains my best friend, my partner, my love.

“We are honest with each other, even when it hurts.”

In an interview with CBC later that year, interviewer Evan Solomon asked if this was “coded language for extramarital affairs,” to which Trudeau replied, “no.”

He clarified that he was referring to the “types of challenges every real marriage goes through.”

“Huge ups and downs, but like I said, we’re very much in love and committed to each other and we’ll stay that way,” he said.

Justin admitted that there were times when his wife “hate” his job.

“I have a very difficult job under high pressure. Everyone knows how challenging it is to balance family responsibilities with a job that takes me across the country and extremely hard work.

“There are times when she hates my job and she hates me because I love my job.

“There are times, there are times when she understands how many opportunities and responsibilities it is for us to actually serve this country that has given us so much.”

Trudeau has been Prime Minister of Canada since 2015 and a Member of Parliament since 2008.

As Sophie told Fashion in 2015, her new duty was to “really keep both feet on the ground,” her husband said, “We’re more partners than my mom and dad could ever have been.”

A year after Common Ground, Sophie had her own say about the trials and tribulations of marriage in an interview with Global News.

“I can tell you right away that no marriage is easy,” she said.

“I’m almost a little proud of the fact that we’ve had hardships, yes, because we want authenticity. We want truth.

“We want to grow together as individuals throughout our lives and we’re both dreamers and we want to be together as long as possible.”

And then, last year, her spoke of a desire to break from traditional female household roles during his service Meghan Markle’s Podcast.

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

Canada’s First Lady also knew of the “crushing guilt of expectations” imposed on mothers and women in general, the Duchess of Sussex said in her introduction.

Grégoire Trudeau agreed, saying of the guilt of being a woman and having to take on multiple roles, “I think we’ve learned to impose it on ourselves.

“A little girl isn’t born with guilt because she’s a girl.

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

She added: “Women on this planet are still at the heart of the family, they still do most of the household chores, contribute to the well-being of the family and make most of the decisions about the children.

“But I think we’re all lionesses, we all have that in us, and we all long to be free in who we are.”

During the approximately hour-long podcast, Sophie never showed any sign of a marital strife.