Scotland's former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that she still misses her mentor Alex Salmond "in some way". The pair formed one of the most successful political partnerships in UK history however their relationship deteriorated and then broke down after sexual misconduct allegations against him emerged.
Following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in 2020, Salmond was cleared of all 13 charges, which included attempted rape and sexual offences. In an exclusive interview with ITV News before the publication of her memoir Frankly on Thursday August 14, Sturgeon said she misses the relationship she used to have with her mentor.
Wave of grief
She said she was hit by a "wave of grief" after hearing of his death in October last year. Speaking to ITV News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham, she said: "Even today I still miss him in some way, the person that I used to know and the relationship we used to have."
She continued: "But I thought I had made my peace with it, that I'd got to a point where I felt nothing. And then I got a call to tell me that Alex Salmond had died. I started crying on the phone and I just was hit by this wave of grief… and it was complicated because obviously we weren't just no longer friends, we were political enemies."
Strange feelings about funeral
Sturgeon admitted there was no prospect she would be able to attend his funeral, describing it as "a kind of strange, strange feeling". Salmond had gone on to become leader of the Alba Party, which became a frequent critic of his former party the SNP.
He died suddenly of a heart attack in October in North Macedonia at the age of 69. Sturgeon, who succeeded him as Scotland's first minister in 2014, said: "At the point he died, I hadn't spoken to him for years."
Dreams and conversations
She described feeling "really deeply the loss of the relationship with him", adding: "I suddenly didn't have him. He wasn't there. I couldn't talk to him. And I went through this period of I would still talk to him in my head."
Sturgeon revealed she would have "vivid dreams that we were still on good terms" before experiencing "such sadness when I remembered the reality". She said: "So, I went through that process. I still missed him in some bizarre way."
Comments about Farage
During the interview Sturgeon was also asked about her description of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage as "odious" in her memoir. She said: "This is my impression, other people might have a different view of him. He just comes across as somebody who's got a very, very fragile ego."
She added: "Somebody who's not particularly comfortable, particularly around women." Sturgeon recalled the 2015 leaders debate, saying: "I just remember hearing him tell somebody how much he'd had to drink, in the green room area beforehand, and it just felt this kind of bravado and just not very pleasant."
Reform UK has been approached for comment. Nicola Sturgeon: The Interview will broadcast on Monday August 11 at 7pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV, with an extended version available on ITVX in the following days.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
