Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has spoken candidly about the breakdown of her marriage to Peter Murrell, suggesting it was due to more than just the allegations against him. In an interview on STV's The Assembly, she said: 'I'm not saying that's not a factor... but I think, if I'm being honest, I think it was probably more than that.' She added that she is entering a new phase of life where she wants to discover more about herself beyond politics.
Asked if she had had any 'secret rendezvous lately', Sturgeon replied with a smile: 'I hope in this whole recording that I'm going to do a politician answer, which is, maybe. This is one of these moments where you're going to have to judge from my body language and read between the lines.'
The 55-year-old also described her arrest by Police Scotland in 2023 as 'horrible', saying she went into a 'shutdown state' and still tries to block it from her memory. She was arrested as part of Operation Branchform, which investigated SNP finances, but was released without charge. Murrell, her husband and former SNP chief executive, has been charged with embezzling £460,000 of party funds and is due in court next month.
Sturgeon became emotional when discussing her miscarriage at age 40, revealing she named the baby Isla Margaret. She said: 'The thing I felt most was guilt, because at first, I hadn't been sure that I wanted to have the baby... then when I lost her, I just had this overwhelming feeling that it was my fault because I hadn't wanted her enough.'
Reflecting on her political career, Sturgeon named Alex Salmond as the person she learned the most from, despite their later falling out. She expressed hope that Salmond would have said the breakdown in their relationship 'wasn't your fault'. Sturgeon recently stepped down as an MSP ahead of the Holyrood election next month.
