Who Is Sophie Grégoire? Meet New Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Wife

Forget Michelle and Barack. North America's new hottest political couple is Justin and Sophie. When the Liberal Party of Justin Trudeau, 43, won the Canadian elections and he became prime minister Monday night, voters also welcomed Sophie Grégoire as first lady. The 39-year-old mom of three is not new to the spotlight, but she's not well-known to international audiences. If you're just checking in, the Globe and Mail summed her up like this: "If there is a handbook for being a political wife, Sophie Grégoire has just torn it up."

Grégoire grew up friends with Liberal leader Trudeau's younger brother, Michel, who died in an avalanche in 1998. But it wasn't until Trudeau and Grégoire co-hosted a charity event in 2003 that they really connected. Grégoire emailed him the next day, but he never responded, she told Women on the Fence. They eventually ran into each other again and exchanged numbers.

"On our first date, our very first date, he looked into my eyes and said, 'I’ve been waiting for you for 31 years. You’re going to be my wife. We’re going to have a family together,'" Grégoire recalled. They married in 2005 and now have three children: 8-year-old Xavier, 6-year-old Ella-Grace and 1-year-old Hadrien.

Grégoire has worked in a variety of jobs, including personal shopper, TV reporter and yoga instructor, the Huffington Post reported. She's been public about her teenaged struggles with bulimia and mental illness. Grégoire has also volunteered with causes like Clinique BACA, which helps people with eating disorders, and the “Because I Am a Girl” campaign helping expand girls' education and access to healthcare, according to the Liberal Party's website.

Her relationship with her husband, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, is a partnership, she told Global News earlier this year. "I’ve always been involved on a personal level, as a couple, in what we’re doing, in the journey we have embarked on,” Grégoire said. “It’s important for Canadians to have a better idea of who stands by the person who is holding such an important role -- what kind of values does she share, what does she do with her life, and what are her passions?"

Their marriage hasn't been perfect. Justin Trudeau denied cheating on Grégoire after a CBC reporter asked whether he'd had extramarital affairs, but they've both acknowledged "hardship." Trudeau's new office may complicate their life together, but Grégoire said she hopes to stay grounded. "We will still cuddle in bed on a Saturday morning, when it's possible," she told CTV News.