While headlines obsess over Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau is busy doing something far more radical: telling the truth about being single at 50 on Valentine’s Day.
The Moment
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, 50, used her Closer Together newsletter to level with readers about facing Valentine’s Day as an “uncoupled” woman in midlife. She admitted it does not feel “amazing” to be on her own this time of year, and she called out how loud and exclusionary the hearts-and-roses month can feel for people who are not coupled up.
Instead of treating single status as failure, she framed it as a “recalibration” – a reset where the noise finally quiets enough for you to hear your own voice again. That is a very different Valentine’s message than the usual panic-buy-roses energy.
All this is landing while her ex, Justin Trudeau, is being widely reported as happily involved with pop star Katy Perry, with coverage painting their relationship as new and intense. Publicly, it looks like the classic split-screen: he is arm-in-arm at global events; she is at home writing about nervous systems and self-love.
The Take
Let us be honest: if your ex is reportedly dating one of the most recognizable pop stars on the planet while you are staring down a quiet Valentine’s at 50, that is the exact plot of a mid-budget streaming drama. But Sophie is refusing the part where she is supposed to be the sad, discarded ex.
She is doing something much less cinematic and much more important: naming how midlife singlehood actually feels and insisting it is not a life sentence of inadequacy. She leans into language about the body, the nervous system, and long-learned “vigilance” – that constant internal bracing many people (especially women) develop after years of reshaping themselves to fit in.
The culture tells midlife singles they are the blooper reel; Sophie is arguing they are the director’s cut.
Her point about self-love being a practice, not a pep talk, cuts through the Valentine’s noise. It is not the bubble-bath version of “self-care.” It is doing the work of unlearning defense mechanisms, choosing new emotional habits, and building a sense of safety that does not depend on who is or is not sitting across from you at dinner.
Of course, the public narrative cannot resist the side-by-side: Sophie talking about presence and healing; Justin reportedly wrapped up in a high-profile romance with a woman whose brand is literally candy-colored love anthems. It is like watching your ex roll by in a cherry-red convertible while you are at home reorganizing your life and your hard drive.
But that split-screen is also the quiet revolution here. For a generation of women and men who were promised that marriage was the finish line, Sophie is modeling something messier: midlife can mean separation, a rebound relationship that does not last, and then a phase where you prioritize your own sanity over your relationship status. Unsexy on Instagram, extremely relevant in real life.
Receipts
Confirmed:
- Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau publicly announced their separation after 18 years of marriage in matching social media posts in August 2023, describing it as a mutual decision and confirming they would continue co-parenting their three children.
- Sophie has been publishing a wellness and personal-growth newsletter called Closer Together, where she writes in her own voice about topics like self-love, relationships, and emotional health.
- In recent coverage of that newsletter, she is quoted acknowledging that being “uncoupled” at 50 on Valentine’s Day does not feel great, and describing February as especially “loud” for people experiencing midlife singlehood.
- She emphasizes that self-love is a practice rooted in safety and presence, and connects it to unlearning long-standing defense mechanisms and adaptive behaviors.
Reported / Unverified (as of public coverage to date):
- That Sophie moved in with pediatric surgeon Dr. Marcos Bettolli following the separation, and that the two have since ended their relationship, has been reported in court-related coverage and entertainment news but has not been the subject of a detailed personal statement from Sophie herself.
- Justin Trudeau’s reported romantic relationship with singer Katy Perry, including sightings at events and descriptions of them as a couple, is based on tabloid and entertainment reporting; neither has issued a lengthy public statement directly spelling out the status of the relationship beyond being seen together.
- Specific performance details, such as Sophie appearing as a guest on the French-Canadian version of The Masked Singer and performing songs including “I Put a Spell on You,” come from broadcast and entertainment write-ups, not from a formal personal essay by Sophie.
Backstory (For the Casual Reader)
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, a former television host and long-time advocate for mental health and women’s issues, married Justin Trudeau well before he became a household name on the world stage. Over nearly two decades in the public eye as a political spouse, she was often photographed at his side but also carved out her own identity through charity work and public speaking. Their 2023 separation announcement landed as a major political and cultural moment in Canada and beyond: one of those marriages many people assumed would simply always be there. Since then, Sophie has leaned harder into wellness and reflective work through her Closer Together platform, while coverage has increasingly focused on Justin’s reported new relationship with Katy Perry. Her latest Valentine’s reflections sit right at that intersection of public fascination and private recalibration: the ex-prime minister’s former partner quietly choosing self-respect in a season built to sell romantic perfection.
What do you make of Sophie’s approach here: is her public honesty about a lonely Valentine’s empowering, or would you rather see public figures keep this kind of midlife vulnerability private?
Sources (summarized, no external links): Public social media announcement by Justin and Sophie Trudeau confirming their separation (August 2023); subsequent Canadian and international news coverage of Sophie Gregoire Trudeau’s Closer Together newsletter and Valentine’s reflections, plus reporting on her post-split relationships and Justin Trudeau’s reported romance with Katy Perry (coverage dated through early February 2026).
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