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Does anyone care about Justin Trudeau’s separation?
There’s political capital in the image of a stable family but for politicians maintaining it is another matter.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau were once seen to have had a fairy-tale romance.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Elizabeth Paton
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Like many public statements on the disintegration of a high-profile split these days, this one appeared on Instagram. “After many meaningful and difficult conversations”, a joint post said, Mr Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, had separated from his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.
Once upon a time, for most world leaders, major political capital lay in the careful crafting of at least the outward appearance of a stable marriage and persona as a family man or woman. According to Ms Lori Gottlieb, a psychotherapist and a host of the Dear Therapists podcast, people wanted to feel that their leaders were a solid and steady presence, much as children want to feel safe with their parents, the leaders of their family.
