NICOLA Sturgeon has said she has been left with a “heavy heart” after confirming her shock split from ex-SNP chief exec husband Peter Murrell.
The former First Minister sent shockwaves through the political world after announcing that her marriage was over on social media this morning.
Nicola Sturgeon announced that her marriage with Peter Murrell has ended[/caption]
The pair wed in July 2010 at Oran Mor in Glasgow’s west end[/caption]
Ms Sturgeon announced the news this morning[/caption]
In a post on her Instagram story, Ms Sturgeon revealed that the pair have secretly been separated “for some time”.
She wrote: “With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage.
“To all intents and purposes we have been separated for some time now and I feel it is time to bring others up to speed with where we are.
“It goes without saying that we still care deeply for each other, and always will. We will be making no further comment.”
The announcement comes just 15 months after she made a bold and defiant claim about her marriage amid a police probe into the couple.
Both Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell were arrested earlier in 2023 as part of Operation Branchform – an investigation into SNP finances.
With a heavy heart I am confirming that Peter and I have decided to end our marriage… we still care deeply for each other, and always will
Nicola Sturgeon
And months after they were both arrested, Ms Sturgeon said her marriage remained strong during a deeply personal interview.
At the time, she insisted that they would be together for a long time when asked about her relationship in a podcast in October 2023.
Speaking to TV presenter and former Tory MP Gyles Brandreth, she said: “We’re still married and we will be married for a long time to come.”
Ms Sturgeon has publicly defended the ‘power couple’ and spoke highly of her relationship with Murrell during turbulent times in recent years.
In August 2023 she said her marriage was “not something anyone should worry about” after persistent rumours circulated at Holyrood and on social media that the pair had fallen out.
At the time, she rubbished any idea that their marriage was on the rocks after being asked at an Edinburgh Fringe event about how the investigation had impacted her personal life.
She told interviewer Iain Dale that she “chooses to talk about happier things” with Mr Murrell.
She added: “My marriage is not something anyone should worry about.”
It came after Ms Sturgeon claimed that online rumours and her need to seek more privacy were “part of the reason” for her resignation as First Minister.
In an episode of BBC Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon podcast in April 2023, she told presenter Glenn Campbell that keeping her private life private had become very important to her.
We’re still married and we will be married for a long time to come
Nicola Sturgeon
Speaking on the podcast, she said: “It’s partly the nature of the media climate that we live in right now.
“It’s maybe part of the reason that I’m stepping down.
“I’m not naive, and I’m not of the view that I will step down one day and be completely anonymous the next day.
“But I want to have a bit more privacy, I want to have a bit more anonymity.
“I just want to protect some of what people take for granted in their lives that I’ve forgotten how to have: just the simple pleasures in life of being able to meet a pal for a coffee.”
It wasn’t the first time that salacious rumours about the former First Minister’s private life swept Holyrood and Westminster.
Timeline of Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell’s relationship
1988: Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell first meet at an SNP youth event.
2003: Then-Glasgow list MSP Ms Sturgeon and SNP chief executive Mr Murrell begin their relationship.
July 16, 2010: The couple tie the knot with a ceremony at the Oran Mor in Glasgow’s west end.
April 2, 2023: Ms Sturgeon claims online rumours and the need to seek more privacy was “part of the reason” for her resignation as First Minister.
April 5, 2023: The home of the couple, near Glasgow, is searched by police, with a separate raid on the SNP’s Edinburgh HQ, as part of their investigation into the party’s finances. Peter Murrell is arrested and quizzed by cops for 12 hours before being released without charge.
April 8, 2023: A £110,000 luxury motorhome is seized by cops from outside the home of Mr Murrell’s mother.
April 28, 2023: Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell are spotted for the first time since the raid on their Uddingston home. She dismisses rumours around her sexuality, including one that she had an affair with a female French diplomat.
June 11, 2023: Police Scotland officers arrest Ms Sturgeon and take her for questioning as part of their probe into SNP finances. She is released without charge and insists that she is innocent of any wrongdoing.
August 10, 2023: At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ms Sturgeon rubbishes claims her marriage is in trouble, telling an audience: “My marriage is not something anyone should worry about”.
October 1, 2023: During a podcast, Ms Sturgeon insists her marriage is not on the rocks. She says: “We are still married and will be married for a long time to come”.
April 18, 2024: Mr Murrell is re-arrested by cops and is charged with embezzlement in connection with the investigation into SNP finances.
April 26, 2024: Ms Sturgeon spotted at the annual Diva Awards with pal Val McDermid in London without her wedding ring.
December 2024: Ms Sturgeon says she is in the dark about the ongoing police investigation, adding: “I am just getting on with my life as best I can at the moment.”
January 11, 2025: During an interview with the Financial Times, Ms Sturgeon says politics was “all-consuming for a long, long time”, having been married to Mr Murrell for over a decade.
January 13, 2025: In a social media post, Nicola Sturgeon announces the end of her marriage to Peter Murrell and says they have been separated for “some time”.
Another example is when rumours began to flow about Ms Sturgeon being a “secret lesbian” who is embroiled in an affair with a female French diplomat.
There were also wild rumours that the pair also went on to buy a “love nest” home from Sir Andy Murray‘s mum, Judy.
But the former First Minister laughed off claims about the secret love affair and told Campbell that she had heard them all.
In the same podcast, Campbell asked her: “Which French diplomat are you having an affair with?”
Laughing, she replied: “I’ll tell you off-camera which one it’s supposed to be.
“But whichever one it is, we’ve actually had a laugh about it.”
“I read accounts of my life on social media, and I think, ‘It’s so much more glamorous-sounding and so much more exciting’.
“You know, I’ve got houses everywhere, if you believe social media.”
Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell are still under investigation as part of Operation Branchform[/caption]
Ms Sturgeon said the pair have been secretly separated ‘for some time’[/caption]
