Revealed: Nicola Sturgeon is staying at flat of her shut good friend Val McDermid after cut up from her husband Peter Murrell
Nicola Sturgeon has been spending time at a luxury £320,000 flat owned by crime writer and her close friend Val McDermid.
The former first minister has been seen leaving the property in Edinburgh’s upmarket New Town as her relationship with her husband Peter Murrell broke down.
Ms Sturgeon, who has been spotted by astonished locals in the neighbourhood, was pictured leaving the flat earlier this month.
She was seen on January 4, wearing a green jacket and clutching her iPhone.
The day before, Ms Sturgeon had posted on her Instagram story a picture of Edinburgh castle, with the caption: ‘One of these days, Edinburgh, when you really melted this Glasgow heart.’
It is understood that Ms Sturgeon lives at her home in Glasgow and, like many other MSPs, occasionally stays overnight in Edinburgh.
The property, in the heart of Edinburgh’s world heritage site, was bought in 2023 by the crime writer and her wife for £320,000.
Ms Sturgeon and Ms McDermid have had a long friendship, with the book-loving politician often heaping praise on the works of the former journalist.
Former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon leaves a flat belonging to her friend crime writer Val McDermid
The flat, believed to be worth £320,000, is in the New Town area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is known for its broad avenues and open squares
Ms Sturgeon and Ms McDermid are believed to be close friends after bonding over their love of reading
Val McDermid is one of Britain’s most celebrated crime writers having sold more than 19 million books
Nicola Sturgeon and Val McDermid in conversation at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, during their In The Company of Books event
Ms McDermid, who is best known for her series of detective novels set in Scotland which have sold in their millions, have previously appeared on stage together at book festivals.
In December, ahead of an event they attended in Edinburgh, where they were joined by Alan Cumming, Ms McDermid said the founding of their friendship ‘really is a love of books’.
Ms Sturgeon told The Scotsman: ‘When we get together over dinner and, you know, a modest amount of red wine, we tend to talk about books a lot.’
And Ms McDermid, an avid SNP supporter, is soon to take to the stage at Glasgow International Comedy Festival with her close friend for their ‘Books and Banter’ show.
In a statement promoting the event, they said: ‘Our love of books is what first drew us together and it remains the mainstay of that friendship.
‘We’ll be interrogating our guests about the books that shaped them and why they love reading. Revelations galore await as we explore the love and laughter between the covers.’
Speculation about Ms Sturgeon’s future with her husband has been ongoing for some time.
In April last year, as crisis engulfed the SNP, Ms Sturgeon was seen without her wedding ring at a glitzy award ceremony.
Ms Sturgeon told The Scotsman: ‘When we get together over dinner and, you know, a modest amount of red wine, we tend to talk about books a lot’
Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is ending her marriage to former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell. Pictured: The couple at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, in 2022
The former Scottish first minister revealed the news via a post on her Instagram account
Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell began their relationship in 2003 and were married at a civil ceremony in Glasgow’s west end in 2010
One of Ms McDermid’s bestselling works which tells the story of an author’s manuscript which appears to be a blueprint for an actual crime
At the London event, she posed for photos alongside Ms McDermid just 24 hours after Humza Yousaf scrapped the Bute House Agreement.
Ms Sturgeon is currently writing her memoirs, which experts have estimated could make her as much as £1 million from the deal with Pan Macmillan.
And Ms McDermid has given advice to the former First Minister on writing the book.
Ms Sturgeon previously said: ‘I was sitting in front of the computer really struggling to get anything down, so I texted Val and said “Does this happen to you, do you get writers block?”
‘I was hoping for some very sage, writerly advice. What I got back, and this is a direct quote was “Stop f*nnying about on WhatsApp and just get on with it.” That’s been my mantra ever since.’
The £72,196-a-year politician set up Nicola Sturgeon Ltd to handle her outside earnings, and recently received a payment of £25,000 plus VAT from ITV for appearing as a pundit on the channel’s election night programme.
The swish Edinburgh flat Ms Sturgeon has been seen leaving is owned jointly between Ms McDermid and her wife.
Professor Jo Sharp, who in 2022 was named Geographer Royal for Scotland, describes herself as a ‘feminist political geographer’ who has research interests including ‘postcolonialism, health, and critical geopolitics’.
The couple, pictured in 2022, ruled at the top of the SNP and Scottish politics for many years before Ms Sturgeon stood down as first minister and party leader in March 2023
In April 2023, police spent two days scouring the Glasgow home of Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell
Police were seen scouring Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell’s garden during their two-day search of the property
Prof Sharp, who works at the University of St Andrews, moved in with Ms McDermid in May 2014 and in 2016 they tied the knot.
Among the guests at the ceremony was Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell, and after the then First Minister described it as a ‘beautiful day’.
On social media, Ms Sturgeon said: ‘Thanks to you and @ProfJoSharp for letting us share it with you. Congratulations again to you both.’
Prof Sharp and Ms McDermid have previously described their relationship as ‘incredibly supportive’.
In an interview with The Guardian in 2022, Ms McDermid said of the celebration: ‘It ran from noon until 11pm, and the London contingent staggered out of the restaurant at the end of the night to get the sleeper [train] home.’
And Prof Sharp said: ‘The whole day was joyous. I don’t think I stopped grinning.’
