Sophie Grégoire didn’t tiptoe around the emotional elephant in the room. She walked right up to it, looked it in the eyes, and spoke her truth. During her appearance on the "Arlene Is Alone" podcast, the 50-year-old author and mental health advocate opened up about something almost everyone can relate to: the strange, sometimes stinging reality of seeing an ex move on.
Her estranged husband, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has recently gone public with pop powerhouse Katy Perry. The two made their first open appearance as a couple on October 25 while celebrating Perry’s birthday in Paris, after months of whispers and paparazzi snapshots. For most people, a rough breakup is hard enough without global headlines, but Grégoire has decided to approach the situation with deliberate grace.
When Your Ex Moves On and the World Watches
Grégoire kept things refreshingly real. She told host Arlene Dickinson, “We’re human beings and stuff affects us. Normal.” She explained that while the headlines and speculation can be triggering, she makes a conscious effort to choose how she responds. In her words, she tries to “listen to the music instead of the noise.” Anyone who has ever spiraled thanks to a social media post from an ex knows this is basically emotional parkour.
She elaborated, saying she still feels everything, from tears to frustration to laughter, but it’s what she does after feeling those emotions that defines her path. The in-between space, as she put it, becomes the place where growth can actually happen.
Healing Without the Drama
Grégoire spoke openly about letting herself experience disappointment, sadness, and anger. As a mental health advocate, she knows avoiding feelings is the emotional equivalent of stuffing glitter into a vacuum cleaner bag. Sooner or later, things explode.
Still, she tries not to stay in reactive mode. Reactivity, she said, comes with consequences. That alone could be printed on a T-shirt and sold outside every relationship therapist’s office. “You can stay in that reactive mode, but you’ll suffer the consequences,” she commented. “I’m also learning at 50 that people will meet life as where they are inside of them … it’s your choice to see that and be like, ‘How am I going to let that affect my happiness?’
Keeping the Family Strong
For all the talk of inner work, the most important anchor in Grégoire’s world continues to be her children. She and Trudeau, who separated in 2023 after 18 years of marriage, share three kids: Xavier, 18, Ella Grace, 16, and Hadrien, 11.
Grégoire said they remain committed to keeping their family foundation strong. “We have separate lives, but we have one family life.” She emphasized that both she and Trudeau consciously choose to feed the family they created, even while walking separate paths.
Grégoire’s message radiates a sort of quiet rebellion. She’s choosing presence over reaction, compassion over comparison, and growth over gossip.