Nicola Sturgeon Speaks Out on Rumours, Regrets and Resilience
Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir Frankly has landed earlier than planned, and it’s nothing short of candid. In it, Scotland’s former First Minister opens up about political controversies, personal tragedies, and even those persistent rumours about her private life.
She recalls her final months in office being dominated by rows over gender recognition reforms. Looking back, she admits wishing she had paused the legislation to find broader consensus. The Isla Bryson prison case, where a convicted rapist was initially placed in a women’s facility, is described as a turning point — a situation that made fears about the policy very real for many people. Sturgeon confesses she struggled to answer direct questions about it at the time, leaving her looking evasive.
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Her memoir also tackles unfounded claims about her sexuality — in particular, a story that she was having a lesbian affair with a French diplomat. Sturgeon says the tale, which spiralled on social media and even reached her neighbours and friends, was rooted in homophobia. She writes that being lied about was frustrating, but the label itself did not bother her. She makes it clear she has spent over thirty years in long-term relationships with men, yet has never considered sexuality to be strictly binary, adding that sexual relationships should remain private.
Sturgeon writes openly about one of the most harrowing moments of her life: her arrest in 2023 as part of the Operation Branchform investigation into SNP finances. She describes waking to find police at her home to arrest her husband, Peter Murrell, and search the property. Her own arrest months later is called “the worst day” of her life. Though eventually told she would face no further action, the media presence outside her home during the ordeal left her feeling as if she had “fallen into the plot of a dystopian novel.”
The memoir also reveals the heartbreak of a miscarriage at the age of 40. She recalls feeling conflicted about the pregnancy because of political timing, something she still feels guilty about after the loss. Sturgeon believes the baby would have been a girl named Isla and writes that she will mourn her for the rest of her life.
Beyond personal pain, Frankly shows Sturgeon reflecting on years in the political spotlight — from leading Scotland during the pandemic to navigating intense sexism and misogyny. Yet it’s not all regret; she speaks of excitement for her “delayed adolescence,” possible time living outside Scotland, and maybe even writing a novel.
And while she is stepping back from politics, she ends with a familiar conviction: she believes Scotland will be independent within the next two decades, and she will never stop advocating for it.
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