Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon broke down in tears during an appearance on ITV's The Assembly, as she spoke publicly about the miscarriage she suffered in 2011. The 55-year-old Scottish politician was interviewed by a panel of autistic, neurodivergent, and learning disabled individuals, who asked her frank questions under the show's premise of total honesty.
Sturgeon, who was deputy first minister at the time of the miscarriage, described the experience as 'cathartic' but overwhelming. 'When I started talking about the baby I lost to a miscarriage, the tears just started to flow and I didn't think I was going to be able to stop,' she said. She added that the interview was 'different to anything I've done before' and sparked 'more raw emotion' than any political interview.
The former SNP leader first revealed her miscarriage in 2016, five years after it happened. She was married to ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell at the time; the couple separated in 2024 after Murrell was found to have embezzled party funds. Sturgeon said she had no regrets about the interview, noting she felt 'exhausted and really drained, but in a good way'.
Also appearing on the programme was Sir Stephen Fry, who described the experience as more intense than his participation in Celebrity Traitors. He was taken aback by questions about his sexual preferences, saying, 'I wasn't expecting that.' The Assembly returns on Wednesday 8th April at 10.05pm on ITV and ITVX.
