NOT since former MP Lembit Opik dated a Cheeky Girl have we seen the worlds of pop music and politics combine to hit the headlines.
But they did just that this week, when singer Katy Perry and former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau were spotted on a romantic dinner date.
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The unlikely pair were pictured enjoying a low-key meal at Le Violon restaurant in Montreal on Monday, as Katy enjoyed a brief break from the Canadian leg of her world tour.
Eyewitnesses reported they “sipped cocktails and shared several dishes . . . including one with lobster” before heading to the kitchen to thank the chef.
So was it a casual meeting of two unlikely friends?
Or the beginning of something much more amorous between a pair, who have both come out of high-profile relationships?
And with Justin being the son of two very free-loving parents, is he following in their frisky footsteps?
Cynics added a third option: this was a publicity stunt to repair both parties’ damaged reputations.
But according to one well-placed source, Justin, 53, has been gunning for a date with 40-year-old Katy,
The source, who used to work with the former PM, told The Sun: “Justin always enjoys nice company, and Katy is the kind of woman that really caught his attention.”
Katy announced her split from fiancé Orlando Bloom, 48, with whom she shares four-year-old daughter Daisy Dove, earlier this month.
Justin, meanwhile, split from his TV host wife of 18 years, Sophie Gregoire, in 2023.
Katy Perry desperately clings on as prop malfunctions mid-air during gig leaving audience terrified
The source continued: “He has been single for a while and has enjoyed getting to know Katy.
“He likes her personality. They click very well so far.
“They are going to see each other again soon.”
The source added that Katy is “a breath of fresh air” for the former PM, who resigned in January after pressure from within his party.
But Justin and Katy have a surprising amount in common.
He is the dynastic politician whose late father, Pierre Trudeau, was the Canadian PM at the time of his birth.
She is the Californian pop princess who started singing gospel music before shifting to pop.
Both reached the highest rungs of their career ladders but have recently suffered falls from grace.
‘PUBLICITY-SEEKING SPECTACLE’
Katy has seen her star power wane dramatically.
Last year, her new album 143 was named the lowest-scoring record ever on the review aggregation site Metacritic, with critics calling it “boring” and “pop trash”.
Then, in April, she was one sixth of the heavily criticised all-female, 11-minute Blue Origin space flight.
Katy said: “We’re putting the ‘ass’ in astronaut.”
And an ass is exactly how she ended up looking, after the mission was mocked as “tone-deaf” and “self-indulgent”.
She didn’t do herself any favours by unveiling her tour’s setlist while suspended in zero gravity.
Her detractors were vocal and, according to insiders, it had a knock-on effect on her nine-year relationship with Orlando.
The actor was reportedly mortified by the publicity-seeking spectacle and it contributed to their demise.
The pair later announced in a statement: “Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting”.
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Since then, Orlando has been enjoying being single, attending Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s lavish Venice wedding while Katy was on tour in Australia, where he reportedly flirted with female guests.
He has also been pictured partying at one of the Oasis gigs in Manchester, and watching the men’s singles final at Wimbledon.
Until now, Katy had been focusing on her family and touring.
Stepping out with Justin this week sent a message to her ex and the world that she is ready to move on.
Justin has not been romantically linked to anyone since he split from presenter Sophie.
The pair had known each other from childhood but started dating in 2003 and married in 2005.
They share three children — Xavier, 17, Ella-Grace, 16, and 11-year-old Hadrien.
Justin shocked followers when he announced via Instagram: “Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate.
My brain was in love but not my body
Barbra Streisand on Pierre Trudeau
“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we built and will continue to build.”
After having followed his father into politics, it seems right that Justin now also honours his father’s reputation as a ladies’ man.
When Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister in 1968, he was labelled a “swinging young bachelor”.
He dated Barbra Streisand the following year, though the singer later admitted: “My brain was in love but not my body”.
In 1971, Pierre married Justin’s mother, Margaret, who was 29 years his junior.
They had three sons together — Justin, and two younger brothers — but divorced in 1984.
Yet Pierre wasn’t the only one known for his friskiness.
As their marriage crumbled, Margaret gained a reputation to rival her husband’s.
In her 1982 book Consequences, she revealed she had had affairs with actors Jack Nicholson and Ryan O’Neal, and singer Lou Rawls.
She also famously partied with the Rolling Stones, prompting speculation she had slept with Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood on tour.
After their divorce, Pierre dated Superman actress Margot Kidder, before having another child with lawyer Deborah Coyne.
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Rumours later linked him to actress Kim Cattrall and Bianca Jagger, though neither of those were confirmed before his death in 2000.
Combining Margaret and Pierre’s sexual exploits, it is no surprise that their dashing son’s love life has been rather bland in comparison, despite the unfounded gay rumours that have stalked his career.
Maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all, and hooking up with a pop star is Justin’s next step in following in the Trudeau family tradition.
