Grégoire Trudeau says she and prime minister `still bound by love and respect'

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau said her split from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau still “hurts deeply,” while speaking on the Next Question with Katie Couric podcast on Thursday.

The couple separated last August after 18 years of marriage and share three children, ranging in age from 10 to 16.

“It hurts deeply, because in a way we have these two words in our language. You know, marriage is `success.' Separation and divorce is `failure,'” Grégoire Trudeau told Couric, via People.

Grégoire Trudeau, who released a self-help book last month, Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other, said she has open communication with Trudeau and their children.

“We are still bound by love and respect and smiles and tears, and we're still trying to figure it out. And it's not perfect, but when you keep things honest, Michael J. Fox said, `We're only as sick as our secrets,'” she added.

“But life happens in between. And we dramatize our relationships because we are insecure, we are afraid to be abandoned, we are afraid to be alone as human beings. It is not in our nature to be alone and just living alone,” she said.

Grégoire Trudeau, 49, has been making media appearances in support of the book, including a stop in Abu Dhabi in March, where she spoke at the Forbes and Know Your Value's annual 30/50 Summit.

On the topic of women prioritizing their “emotional well-being and psychological safety,” Grégoire Trudeau said women “shouldn't expect the minimum.”

“You should expect a maximum of nourishment, presence and help in your life with the people around you. And we shouldn't have to hold it all together as women,” she said.

Grégoire Trudeau has reportedly “re-partnered” with Ottawa-based doctor Dr. Marcos Bettolli.

Trudeau, for his part, has not shared as much about his life post-separation. Following their announcement, the couple went on a family holiday to B.C.

“I got a really good 10 days with the family to focus on the kids, to focus on being together and moving forward,” he said at the time.