Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie separate

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau have separated, he announced on Instagram on Tuesday.

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

Mr Trudeau, 51, and Ms Gregoire Trudeau, 48, have been married since 2005 and have three children together.

Ms Gregoire Trudeau was a television personality in Quebec when she met Mr Trudeau in 2003, who at the time was still five years away from running for parliament.

The two quickly became a power couple in Quebec and Canada.

She has championed women's issues during her time as the Prime Minister's wife and worked with numerous charities.

“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything that we have built and will continue to build,” said Mr Trudeau

Ms Gregoire Trudeau, a once prominent face around Canada, has been increasingly less visible in recent years, rarely travelling with Mr Trudeau on foreign trips.

Her last public appearance next to him was July 1 for Canada festivities.

The couple shared identical messages announcing the separation on social media asking for privacy.

Mr Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, separated from his wife Margaret at the end of his time in office.