Nicola Sturgeon laughs and jokes on night time out at comedy pageant with shut pal Val McDermid days earlier than she introduced Peter Murrell cut up
Nicola Sturgeon looked happy and full of high spirits as she enjoyed a night out at a comedy festival just days before announcing she had split with husband Peter Murrell.
The former First Minister announced on her Instagram on Monday that she and Peter had called time on their marriage saying in a post titled Personal: ‘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 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.’
However on Friday Nicola and her friend, the crime writer Val McDermid were full of high spirits as they enjoyed a night out Glasgow‘s Social Hub for the launch of the city’s International Comedy festival.
Nicola even revealed ‘plans’ to follow in the footsteps of fellow Scot and comedian Richard Gadd with an award appearance at the Golden Globes in two years’ time.
She explained her unexpected future ambitions and more as she announced her appearance at this year’s Comedy Festival.
Ex-SNP leader Nicola, who will be co-hosting a show with Val, said that she was chuffed to be ‘doing a gig’ at the fest in March.
And as the pair got drinks from the free bar she said: ‘We are appearing at this year’s comedy festival which is as much as a joke to us as it is to anybody else.
Nicola Sturgeon was pictured out with her crime writer friend Val McDermid (left) on Friday night, shortly before revealing her split from husband, Peter Murrell
The pair were at the launch party for this year’s Glasgow International Comedy Festival which will host a joint appearance by them at an event in March
‘We don’t have a double act name but watch this space – it might happen.
‘We did a gig together, haha, ‘a gig’ together, before Christmas about books and it went well and we thought ‘why not’?’
Asked to look at comedian Richard Gadd who won a double award for his own production of Baby Reindeer at this year’s Golden Globes she added: ‘Absolutely – Do you think we’ll be at the Golden Globes next year? Maybe the year after…’
Nicola, who drove to the launch party after passing her driving test at the age of 53 in October last year, ensured she was sticking to soft drinks on the night whilst Val went for something more spirited.
Nicola said: ‘I’m driving so I’m going to have an Irn Bru.
Val then referred to Nicola’s newfound driving skills as she quipped: ‘I’m going to have a drink because it makes it easier to be driven by Nicola when I’ve had a drink.’
Nicola added: ‘She just slagged off my driving by the way. This duo might not make it to the comedy festival if she keeps insulting my driving.’
Speculation about Nicola’s future with her husband had been ongoing for some time.
In April last year, as crisis engulfed the SNP, she was seen without her wedding ring at a glitzy award ceremony.
The former Scottish First Minister was spotted leaving an Edinburgh flat belonging to McDermid, earlier this month
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’
The author 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
Nicola Sturgeon announced on Monday that she is ending her marriage to former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell. Pictured: The couple at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, in 2022
At the London event, she posed for photos alongside the writer 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’.
Ms Sturgeon and Mr Murrell began their relationship in 2003 and were married at a civil ceremony in Glasgow’s west end in 2010
The former Scottish first minister revealed the news via a post on her Instagram account
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
Nicola will join fellow former Nat MP Mhairi Black and Scots comedians including Susie McCabe, Ashlie Storrie, Connor Burns and Rosco McLelland at the festival in March.
‘We’re not going with the intention of telling jokes but there will undoubtedly be a couple that just come to us,’ she explained. ‘We think we’re funny, but probably our nearest and dearest don’t think we’re funny.’
‘It’s books and banter. Val will be talking about books but will I be talking about politics? Not if I can help it.’
‘There’s definitely a lot of comparisons between politics and comedy but I’m a great believer in life that everything is political to some extent so.
‘I’m sure there will be the odd political reference. It joins up perfectly.
‘We will have one liners but we’ve only got a limited number of them so if we tell you them now we won’t have more on the night.
‘I find lots of comedians funny. We’d better not name names but anyone that wants to work with us, they just need to come and enquire.’
Val said of their double act: ‘It’s funny sometimes, not intentionally, but sometimes. We’re quite funny when we get going. She takes the p*** out of me and I take the p*** out of her.’
There’s lot of laughs in politics not many of them intentional. I think everything is funny.’
During the evening Nicola and Val mingled with guests including comedian Susie McCabe and Former MSP Mhairi Black.
