In a podcast interview with the BBC, Sturgeon said the ‘extraordinary’ rumours about her personal life were part of the reason why she resigned.
The most ‘scurrilous’ stories were that she owned an extensive overseas property portfolio and that her secret lover was a female French diplomat. The two were said to have purchased the house of former tennis coach Judy Murray, which they used as a ‘love nest’. Sturgeon has been married to political administrator Peter Murrell since 2010.
Speaking to the BBC in part one of the podcast series Nicola – The Person, she said:
‘I read accounts of my life on social media and I think, ‘you know, it is so much more glamorous sounding and so much more exciting’. You know I’ve got houses everywhere if you believe social media. ‘I’m not naïve, I’m not of the view that I will step down one day and be completely anonymous the next day, I understand the realities of what I have done and I’ll still be in parliament, but I want to have a bit more privacy, I want to have a bit more anonymity and I just want to protect some of what people take for granted in their lives that I’ve forgotten to have.’
Responding to the lesbian rumour, Sturgeon said that she and the rumoured lover had had ‘a laugh’ about it.
Not judging her private life here. Everyone is free to love who they want. I do wonder though, because it’s these types of secrets that often compromise politicians