Sophie Grégoire Trudeau ‘re-partnered’ with an Ottawa pediatric surgeon months before her shock separation from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was announced, according to allegations in a divorce claim made 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 splitting were not made clear, however, the couple said at the time that it came after ‘many difficult conversations’.
However, it has since been reported by Canadian media, including The National Post, that by the time their decision to part ways was announced to the world, Sophie had already started 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 claimed that he had ‘re-partnered with a high-profile individual who attracts significant media attention, and presents significant security considerations’.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau ‘re-partnered’ with an Ottawa pediatric surgeon months before her shock separation from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (pictured together in 2017) was announced, according to allegations in a divorce claim against the doctor
The person was not named in the court documents, but The National Post claimed it had been confirmed that Ms Remonda’s allegation refers 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 biography on the University of Ottawa website.
The doctor moved to Canada in 2004 before becoming the educational leader for the Pediatric Surgery undergraduate program at the university in 2010.
In 2014, he was promoted to Associate Professor and earned his distinction as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSC).
His ex-wife Ms Remonda, who is a stay-at-home mother, reportedly said in her divorce petition that she takes ‘no position’ on her former partner’s personal life.
However, she insisted the new relationship had resulted in unspecified security concerns ‘to which the children are exposed while in their father’s care’ and requested a court order to secure their two children’s privacy and protection.
‘Ana had thought 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 the (children) discomfort and anxiety,’ she is said to have claimed in the petition.
Now it’s been reported by Canadian media such as The National Post that by the time their decision to part ways was announced to the world, Sophie had already started a relationship with Ottawa pediatric surgeon Dr. Marcos Bettolli (thought to be pictured)
The Trudeaus (pictured in 2016) revealed on August 2, 2023, that they had legally separated after 18 years of marriage and three children together
But Dr Bettolli reportedly insisted his ex-wife’s attitude toward his relationship with Sophie is ‘not in the children’s best interest’ in his reply to the divorce claim.
He is said to have claimed that Ms Remonda threatened to return to Argentina, where they were both born, if the new relationship was revealed.
Dr Bettolli and his ex-wife separated in January 2020 after 22 years of marriage.
The National Post’s report in October made clear that none of the allegations in the divorce filing have been proved in court and that the case is ongoing. It’s unclear if any progress has been made at the time of writing.
Ms Remonda’s lawyer, Katherine Cooligan, and Dr. Bettolli’s lawyer, 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 was living in Canada, will be teaching yoga at a solar eclipse wellness retreat weekend in Ontario.
The tickets cost from £450 for two nights and the event promises to bring guests ‘closer together as Mother Nature will show us the beauty of darkness’, according to The Times.
The retreat will also include meditation and mantra chants with a spiritual practitioner, according to The National Post.
Meanwhile, following their split, the Trudeaus’ three children will continue living with the Prime Minister at Rideau Cottage while Sophie has moved to another home in Ottawa.
Their reasons for splitting were not made clear, however, the couple said it came after ‘many difficult conversations’
They vowed to ‘remain a close family with deep love and respect for one another and for everything they had built’ in their statement
Over the years, the couple have publicly shared candid reflections on the ‘challenges’ of marriage and difficulties balancing family with the demands of the top job.
Some have speculated that such statements – as well as a series of awkward exchanges between the pair on television – may have hinted at trouble in the PM’s marriage.
After the announcement, a video went viral on social media appearing to show an awkward exchange between the Prime Minister and his wife.
The video shows the two kissing in front of a camera, 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 in. She kisses him back, but quickly turns and looks at something off camera.
Justin also steps back, looking around and opening his stance before the clip cuts.
In another moment in front of cameras, Sophie was seen brushing off her husband’s offered hand while getting her Covid jab.
The two were filmed together in April 2021 receiving their first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Ottawa.
Grégoire and Trudeau share three children together. Two sons, Xavier, 15, Hadrien, 9 and daughter Ella-Grace, 14
Justin received his shot first, with his wife firmly gripping his hand throughout. As Sophie’s arm was prepared for the injection, her husband offered a hand in support.
Sophie turned, with the hand on her leg, and smiled – but waved her hand dismissively. The Prime Minister retracted his hand and looked at the camera with open palms.
The couple laughed off the interaction, and the playful encounter still received a positive reception 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 over 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 knowing all about ‘crushing the guilt of expectations’ in her role.
Sophie had a ‘full plate,’ while being a parent and a spouse in the public eye after being married to Justin for 18 years, the Duchess claimed in the podcast.
Sophie agreed and said about the guilt of being a woman and having to take on multiple roles: ‘I think we’ve learned to self-impose it. A little girl is not born feeling guilty for being a girl.
‘We learn it. And that’s completely unacceptable. When I started becoming an older girl in an early adult stage, I realized that we often define ‘freedom’ as a way to be free from the world, but it’s really a way to be free in the world.’
She added: ‘Women across this planet are still the nucleus of the family, they still carry most of the load for housework, contributing to the family’s well-being and most decisions concerning the kids.
‘But I think we’re all that lioness, we all have that inside of us, and we all long to be free in who we are.’ During the roughly hour-long podcast, Sophie never indicated any marital strife.
In the past, the couple were often very candid with their posts on Instagram, 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 are not that young anymore, but what an adventure it’s been.
‘Through all the ups and the downs, you’re still my person. I love you. #TBT to a quiet moment we shared somewhere along the way.’
The pair had been married since 2005 and share 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 aged 23.
Justin and Sophie began dating in 2003 after reconnecting as adults and were engaged a short time afterwards.
