Zimbabwe News Update
bbc
7 min read
It is a pairing that few could have predicted: a former prime minister of Canada and an American pop star who has toured the world and reached the edge of space.Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry have made it official. The couple was spotted by paparazzi holding hands in Paris last weekend as they left the Crazy Horse cabaret, where they had been celebrating Perry’s 41st birthday.While they may seem an unlikely duo, Trudeau and Perry – who have both been in the spotlight for the better part of the last decade – have more in common than some might think.
And their budding romance is not entirely unprecedented in the lexicon of Canadian political history.The pairing also offers a rare glimpse into the private life of Trudeau, who became a global progressive icon after he was catapulted into Canada’s highest office in 2015, since he was forced to resign from politics earlier this year after his popularity plummeted.Perry, similarly, had faced an assortment of undesirable headlines in the last year.Her most recent album and tour got poor reviews, a highly publicised trip she took on a Blue Origin Space Flight was widely mocked, and she and actor Orlando Bloom announced their breakup after nearly a decade together.The relationship is a “rebranding for both of them in a very interesting and unexpected way”, said Jose Rodriguez, a professor of Communication Studies at California State University Long Beach.Partnering with a statesman creates a credible bridge for Perry into civic and philanthropic endeavours, he added.
It expands her audience and access to a politically engaged public and global organisations outside the music industry.For Trudeau, 53, the California Girls singer helps his new persona because she’s in “a softer arena with pop culture and music”, Mr Rodriguez said, rather than the tough world of politics where he had already been bruised and battered.At the core of it is simple human connection, too, observers noted. Both are newly single – Trudeau and his wife separated in 2023 – and this is the first high-profile romance post-split for both.
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