NICOLA Sturgeon has unveiled her “mid-life crisis” tattoo, which she said she designed herself, in the first television interview ahead of the publication of her memoir this week.
The former first minister showed ITV News at Ten presenter Julie Etchingham her first tattoo – an infinity symbol with an arrow on the end.
“Mid-life crisis alert,” Sturgeon joked, who went on to say the design signifies strength and resilience.
She said: “What it is, is known really only to me, but I'll give you a kind of sense of it. It's kind of an infinity symbol with an arrow, and I came up with the design myself.
“In summary, what it signifies to me is strength, resilience and continuing to move forward, even when it feels impossible. And it might not be my last one now that I've got the taste for it.”
Writing on Instagram, Kurt McGonigle, artist and owner of Paradise Tattoo in Glasgow, revealed that he had done the work on the former first minister – and said it had been an "honour".
Elsewhere in the wide-ranging ITV interview, Sturgeon also claimed Alex Salmond did not read the Scottish Government’s white paper on independence ahead of the 2014 referendum.
The former SNP leader claimed that her former mentor, Salmond, had left her feeling “cold fury” after declining to engage on the document on which she had led.
“I remember an evening which I just suddenly had this overwhelming sense of impossibility: ‘I can't get this to the point it needs to be at. It's so unwieldy. It's so difficult’.
“I just remember having what I can only describe as a panic attack. I was sobbing on the floor of my office at home and just my heart was racing.”
Sturgeon also spoke about how she still misses Salmond “in some way” and that she was hit with a “wave of grief” after hearing of his death.
Nicola Sturgeon: The Interview will broadcast on Monday, August 11 at 7pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV.
An extended version of the interview will be available on ITVX in the following days.
