Canada's Trudeau and his wife Sophie announce separation

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie, are going their separate ways.

The pair announced their separation on social media on Wednesday.

“Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate,” Trudeau, 51, said.

“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and continue to build,” Trudeau said in an Instagram post.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, met her future husband as a kid — she was the childhood friend and classmate of Trudeau’s younger brother. She reconnected with Trudeau years later at a charity fundraiser.

The TV host, who shares three children with the prime minister, joined her husband in requesting privacy during the separation.

The Trudeaus were married in 2005.