The Wife of Controversial Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Also Struggled With a Possible Addiction
Renata Ford was once arrested for driving while impaired.
Published June 17 2025, 6:16 p.m. ET
In October 2013, Toronto police recovered a video of the city's then-mayor, Rob Ford, smoking crack cocaine with three young men.
According to Maclean's Magazine, one of those individuals would later be killed in a "gang-style slaying."
This video was initially reported on by Gawker, which unsuccessfully raised money to purchase it. When that fell through, the outlet and the Toronto Star published stories revealing where the video was allegedly recorded. Ford was not out of the woods.
The embattled mayor denied the existence of the video and maintained he never smoked crack. Six months later, a second video emerged. This time, he was filmed smoking crack in his sister's basement by a drug dealer who claimed to have more footage, per The Globe and Mail.
That was the last straw. Long before the drug use became public, Ford's wife told the Toronto Sun she was sympathetic towards the media despite what they wrote about her husband. What happened to Renata Ford? Details to follow.
After the death of Rob Ford, his wife had some troubles of her own.
When it comes to Renata Ford, she was always a bit of a mystery to the people of Toronto. She and Rob met in high school and married in 2000, per Toronto Life. The couple went on to have two children, who were raised in a modest 3-bedroom house the Fords bought in 2002 for $490,000.
Per her LinkedIn, Renata served as her husband's Strategic Policy Advisor from the time they were married until his death in March 2016 from a rare form of cancer called liposarcoma.
Less than a year after Rob passed away, Renata was arrested and charged with impaired driving, reported the CBC. It was just a few days past Christmas when Renata's car bumped against another vehicle as she was turning into an LCBO parking lot.
Witnesses rushed to her aid, but Renata begged them not to call the police. Despite this, she still attempted to buy a bottle of wine, which did not work out. When police did arrive, Renata was in the passenger seat of her car. She failed a breathalyzer.
In June 2018, she pleaded guilty and was handed a suspended sentence. Renata was ordered to pay an $1,100 fine on top of an additional three years probation.
She was also banned from driving for two years. "I just want to say that I'm truly sorry for my actions," she said in a statement to the court. "I've tried to do what I could to prevent (this) from happening again."
Renata Ford ran for office in 2019.
According to the CBC, Renata ran as a candidate for Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada in October 2019.
"After a period of trials and tribulations, I'm healthier, and I'm more ready than ever," she told an eager crowd at an event in September 2019. "The time is right for me now to run to be a member of Parliament."
When it came to experience, Renata was drawing from her time as a mayor's wife and Strategic Policy Advisor. She promised to return "common sense" to the party. She was drawn to Maxime because, according to Renata, he reminded her of her husband.
"I found that Bernier is passionate, just as much as my husband was, on the real issues that concern Canadians, and he's not afraid to stand up."
She did not win.