Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was raised in Montreal and spent the majority of her life here before taking on important roles in Ottawa. She is known for her love of languages and yoga, and fight for gender equality and justice. We outline her Montreal upbringing below and include statements from her former peers and colleagues. Visit MTLBlog for more headlines. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is the epitome of class. Her natural grace in combination with her charismatic demeanour is just a few of the qualities of our Prime Minister's wife that stand out the most. Sophie was born in Ste-Adèle, but when she was 4 years old, she and her parents moved to the Town of Mount Royal where she grew up on Rue Cornwall. Her parents, Jean Grégoire and Estelle Blais, earned honest livings. Grégoire was a stockbroker and Blais was a nurse. Sophie, who is an only child, went to school with Justin Trudeau's younger brother Michel Trudeau, which led her to eventually befriend her now-husband. Michel Trudeau passed away in 1998 in an avalanche, when he was only 23 years old. It wasn’t until 2003, when Sophie and Justin co-hosted a charity ball together, that sparks began to fly between them. Apparently, on their first date, a few months after the charity (he took his time), Justin predicted he would marry her and a year later, they got engaged. Most of us know a lot about her life from that point on — she and Justin got married, they had three beautiful children, and now they are the "first family" of Canada. Few, however, are familiar with Grégoire-Trudeau's life in Montreal before her television career and entrance into the Trudeau family. Sophie Trudeau is fluent in three languages: English, French, and Spanish. She has a passion for the arts and has skills in painting, singing, and guitar. Sophie loves to dance — she says jazz, ballet, and African dance are her favourites. View this post on Instagram I painted this last Saturday. I want to live inside this landscape - an ode to our Canadian fall... 🍁 Voici ce que j'ai peint samedi dernier. Je veux vivre à l'intérieur de ce paysage - une ode à notre automne canadien... A post shared by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (@sophiegregoiretrudeau) on Nov 13, 2016 at 7:37am PST View this post on Instagram I'm so proud of Ella-Grace for learning how to show calm and grace in the midst of a demanding pose... a life lesson! Je suis très fière d’Ella-Grace, qui apprend à faire preuve de calme et de grâce durant une pose exigeante... une leçon de vie! A post shared by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (@sophiegregoiretrudeau) on Nov 4, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT Sophie became a certified yoga instructor in 2012, which explains how she's in such good shape. Rumour has it that she's even got the Prime Minister into it. Her love for yoga began when she was a struggling teenager. She has said many times that she had a "happy childhood." But, throughout her teenage years, she suffered from bulimia nervosa. Her parents had no clue about their daughter's struggles and it wasn’t until she finally told them that she was able to begin her recovery. Sophie used therapy, meditation, and yoga to aid in her fight with bulimia. Yoga remains a large part of her life today. Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2018As many of you know, I suffered from bulimia as a teenager and young adult. I often felt alone in my struggle, but the moment I started sharing my story was the moment I began my journey to recovery. It’s by being vulnerable and telling our stories that we can make true healing happen. So during Eating Disorders Awareness Week, let’s break the silence – let’s share our stories to end the stigma around eating disorders. When we heal together, we rise together.Posted by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau on Thursday, February 1, 2018 She has been very open about her past struggle with the disease and she now works with various organizations that help spread awareness about body image-related issues and eating disorders. The former television host is involved in charity work, thrives when speaking in public and has a passion for helping women and children. Sophie is clearly an active woman and finds a thrill in being outdoors, specifically with biking, skiing and canoeing, which is pretty Canadian of her. View this post on Instagram This is how we roll! 🚴♀️ Chez nous, on roule! A post shared by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (@sophiegregoiretrudeau) on Dec 3, 2016 at 9:13am PST View this post on Instagram We were warmly received last night in Havana! I’m very happy to be here, to help renew the friendship between Canada & Cuba. 🇨🇦🇨🇺 Nous avons été chaleureusement accueillis à La Havane hier soir! Je suis très heureuse d’être ici et d’aider à renouveler l’amitié entre le Canada et Cuba. A post shared by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (@sophiegregoiretrudeau) on Nov 16, 2016 at 7:41am PST There is no denying that Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has a killer style, but what many don’t know is that when she was younger, she worked as a personal shopper at Holt Renfrew. An ex-colleague of Sophie's told MTL Blog that "she was always confident when it came to her style. Fashion was second nature to her." She also let us know that Sophie was a "hard worker" who had a "sweet personality." She continued to say that she was "always bright" and "destined for great things." Sophie attended Pensionnat du Saint-Nom-de-Marie during her high school years and one of her old classmates told MTL Blog that "she was always nice to those around her." Even back then, her peer continued, she has a "passion and curiosity for the world." She was also said to be "a very good student, she always got good grades," which doesn't come as a surprise. View this post on Instagram The feeling you get when they call to ask you to shoot @sophiegregoiretrudeau is next level! #sophiegregoiretrudeau #sophiegregoire #premieredame #canada #canada🇨🇦 @sabrinarinaldimakeup @patrickvimbor @chatelaineqc @isabelle.dubuc That day will always be important for me! A post shared by Genevieve Charbonneau (@genevievecharbonneau) on Jun 19, 2018 at 4:57am PDT After Sophie graduated from high school, she attended Collége Jean-de-Brébeuf and then continued by studying Commerce at McGill University. Although her initial goal was to follow in her father’s footsteps, Sophie had a change of heart and switched her major to Communications. She ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the Université de Montréal. After graduation, she quickly found a job at an advertising firm working as a receptionist. She was then promoted to Account Manager and spent three years doing Personal Relations, Advertising and Sales before leaving for her next project: radio and television school. Sophie fell in love with the industry and began working for a newsroom. In a short period, Sophie went from writing the news ticker to being an entertainment reporter for LCN. wikimedia View this post on Instagram #justintrudeau #sophiegregoire A post shared by Justin Trudeau (@justinpjtrudeau) on Dec 4, 2012 at 1:13pm PST Then, in 2005, she joined CTV network entertainment show eTalk. Sophie has previously had an internship with the news station, and an ex-employee of the station told us that "Sophie was young, sweet and determined the first time I met her. When she came back in 2005, she was an educated woman who had all the tools to take on whatever life would throw at her." 2005 was also the year that she and Justin got married at Montreal’s Sainte-Madeleine Outremont Church, which was followed by a small reception at Hotel St-James. Only 180 guests shared in their big day. View this post on Instagram Je pense que comme mère, ce que j’aime le plus est de regarder mes enfants et de voir qu’ils se sentent aimés... et de voir cela se refléter dans la façon dont ils agissent entre eux et envers les autres. Bonne fête des mères à toutes les mamans! ❤️ (regardez la vidéo complète sur ma page Facebook!) A post shared by Sophie Grégoire Trudeau (@sophiegregoiretrudeau) on May 13, 2018 at 6:33am PDT Sophie didn't need a custom dress to make her feel like royalty on her big day. In fact, she purchased her dress from a local boutique called "Les Noces Couture," which is no longer in business. What she loved most about this gown was its uniqueness. View this post on Instagram Throw back Thursday to Justin and Sophie's wedding in 2006. She helped design her dress in collaboration with Les Noces Couture, a boutique in Montreal. #sophietrudeau #weddingdress #fashion #dress #couture #tbt A post shared by Sophie Gregoire Fashions (@houseofsophiegregoiretrudeau) on Nov 5, 2015 at 3:20pm PST Another unique thing that Sophie did on her wedding day was opting against a cake. Instead, she set up a long table with a variety of elegant desserts, organic teas, and coffees, which I must say is a nice touch. Ten years after they tied the know, Justin became the Prime Minister of Canada. It takes a strong person to be the spouse of the Prime Minister and Montreal's very own Sophie Trudeau has been doing a stand-up job when it comes to helping fight for the causes that are near and dear to her. View this post on Instagram The kids are getting excited – holiday season has started at our home! How about you? #TBT --- Les enfants commencent à être excités, la saison des Fêtes a débuté chez nous! Et chez vous? #TBT A post shared by Justin Trudeau (@justinpjtrudeau) on Dec 4, 2014 at 2:59pm PST View this post on Instagram #tbt to the Liberal Leadership Convention on April 14th, 2013. It’s been an incredible three years. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together. #tbt à la course à la chefferie le 14 avril 2013. Ce fut trois années incroyables. Je suis fier du travail que nous avons fait ensemble. A post shared by Justin Trudeau (@justinpjtrudeau) on Apr 14, 2016 at 6:27am PDT Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is a power woman, to say the least. She is a mother, wife, body-image advocate, yoga instructor, ballet dancer, fashion icon, and singer. She represents our country well.
