A blonde tornado with light eyes and an athletic figure crosses the lobby of The Hoxton hotel in the second arrondissement of Paris. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, 49, begins promoting her book “Entre nous. Know yourself better, love yourself better” (KO Éditions), among French journalists. Singer, television presenter, former unofficial First Lady of Canada, separated (but not divorced) from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since 2023 after twenty years of cohabitation, mother of three children, part-time professor of yoga and mental health activist.

A bulimic past in the service of public health

A mission dictated by the public exposure of the eating disorders that disturbed her adolescence and which she talks about in this very autobiographical story, interspersed with interviews with experts and rather extensive advice on personal development. “Twenty years ago,” she writes, “when I was a radio and television presenter in Quebec, I decided to speak publicly about my struggle.” This decision was not easy for us. I was hesitant to be vulnerable in public and wondered if I would be rehired after these revelations. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life! concludes this ultra-warm woman. It helped me get out of my bulimia and gave direction to my inner struggle. »

I was hesitant to be vulnerable in public and wondered if I would be rehired after these revelations

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, the only daughter of a cashier who became a stockbroker and psychiatric nurse, spent the first years of her life in a modest chalet in the Laurentides region of Quebec, in a loving and caring family. At the age of 4, the little girl moved to Montreal, where she grew up in the affluent Mont-Royal district. There she would meet Michel Trudeau, son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau – the former Canadian minister – and brother of her future husband Justin. Without her even knowing it, an official destiny was taking shape.

Be thin at all costs

During puberty, the pressure on women to stay slim and the era of admiring supermodels with interstellar measurements pushed her to not gain weight and still eat (a lot). “My stomach would fill up quickly and I would feel nauseous,” she writes. I realized that the quickest way to get rid of that feeling was to purge and vomit. It was almost like I could let go of the adult hold on me,” she adds.

At the end of puberty, when she managed to hide her bulimia as best she could, she finally broke down. And asked his mother for help, who took him to a specialist in the hospital. “When we think of eating disorders,” she explains, “we naturally think of the battle against food.” But in reality, it only accounts for 5% of the problem. That is a lack of emotional nourishment. And the goal is not to “get out” of your eating disorders, but to try to understand how to slow down better.
Slowing down means putting things into perspective. With any addiction, you first have to admit that you are not feeling well and seek help. For me, it reveals the need for authenticity, for being seen and loved as we are. »

Addiction reveals the need for authenticity, for being seen and loved as we are

After becoming a columnist and presenter in the media, after secondary studies at the very strict Catholic boarding school Saint-Nom-de-Marie in Outremont, she married in 2005 Justin Trudeau, the future leader of the Liberal Party, who was elected Prime Minister of Canada in 2015. A rather atypical statesman and a joking couple: while her book is stingy with details about their relationship, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tells some unusual anecdotes. Like Justin’s penchant for falling down stairs, hotel lobbies and ski slopes to make his wife laugh… Or this talk show with Sophie as the main guest, where he surprised her by appearing “in shorts, knee-length socks, etc.” and a hat with a propeller…

A lifelong battle against eating disorders

Sophie, who is tireless, is deeply committed to various mental health causes and is recognized by the United Nations for her humanitarian work, distills in this original work advice and tips scientifically validated by neuropsychiatrists. “I wrote this book because I love humanity and the human psyche,” she confesses. And then, as a mother, a person with an eating disorder and an activist, I understood one thing: mental health is our common denominator. I wanted to share the knowledge I had acquired with as many people as possible. »

Mental health is our common denominator

Because for the former First Lady, “the first step to living a healthy and authentic life is knowing deep down who you are.” What knowledge is she talking about? “For me, an unanalyzed brain and thinking is an unanalyzed life,” she explains forcefully. Just as we teach schoolchildren math or geography, we should teach young people how we function on a physiological, biological and neurobiological level. When you feel anger rising inside you, do you know how to slow down your breathing to calm down and avoid conflict with your partner, for example?

The first step to a healthy and authentic life is to know deep within yourself who you are

Likewise, they should be taught that safety and human connection are the two main human needs. When we don’t feel safe, it’s hard for us to express our vulnerability. However, without the courage to show vulnerability, we cannot open up to others. This leads to withdrawal and a society in decline, and that’s exactly what’s happening. Let’s not let that happen. »