Separation Rumours Swirl as Laureen Harper Conducts First Joint Interview with PM

Ottawa insiders say Laureen and Stephen Harper have been living apart for months.

Sitting down for a Christmas interview with CTV, Laureen and Stephen Harper were the image of a dedicated, mutually supportive couple. Yet political observers are wondering why the pair chose this particular time to do their first interview together since Stephen Harper took office. At least one columnist believes it was in order to dispel a rumour published three weeks ago in a single paragraph in the Ottawa Citizen, which suggested Laureen was living apart. Other columnists are weighing in to condemn their colleagues for delving into the Harpers’ personal life, but when your husband is the prime minster and you repeatedly show up to political functions on the arm of one of his MPs, people are bound to ask questions.