Nicola Sturgeon has admitted she is "not okay" after her estranged husband Peter Murrell pleaded guilty to embezzling £400,000 from Scottish National Party funds.
The former SNP leader described the past week as "probably the worst" of her life.
Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP, admitted to stealing funds from the party to buy a range of luxury items, including cars, video games, and a motorhome.
After he pleaded guilty earlier this week, questions were raised over whether Ms Sturgeon knew about her estranged husband's actions, which happened during their 15 years of marriage.
Now, speaking out for the first time, Ms Sturgeon said: "We were two people on high salaries, no kids.
"I was doing a job – and this is another factor – I was doing a job that had me working around the clock, away from home a lot of the time."
While she said she had not seen some of the "stuff" which had been reported, the former First Minister said: "Things that I did recognise, none of it would have made me question."
The pair split back in January 2025.
The former First Minister said she 'won't be the last woman that's being betrayed by her husband'
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"Maybe this doesn’t reflect well on me: I didn’t spend a lot of time in my kitchen – spend any time in my kitchen – but I would never question that some of these things he was buying that I was aware of he couldn’t have afforded, because on the basis of our incomes he could have afforded it," she continued.
Ms Sturgeon also said she had "been deceived, misled, lied to and betrayed" – but she "won't be the last woman that's being betrayed by her husband".
"I probably need to sit with a therapist," she quipped. "It’s a long-winded way of saying I’m not okay.
"I will be okay. I’m a strong, resilient person."
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Murrell pleaded guilty earlier this week
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Earlier this week, Ms Sturgeon maintained that she had "no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever" about Murrell's activities.
Ms Sturgeon worked with her estranged husband at the helm of the SNP for two decades, with Murrell serving as chief executive from 2001 to 2023.
The former First Minister served first as deputy leader from 2004, before becoming leader and First Minister in 2014 after Scottish separatists failed in their bid for independence.
However, she was not free from swirling speculation about what she knew.
Dame Jackie Baillie, the Scottish Labour deputy leader, declared it "inconceivable" the former First Minister knew nothing.
Meanwhile, Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, branded Murrell a "thieving magpie" while urging Ms Sturgeon to "come clean about exactly what she knew, and when".
"Nobody in the real world is buying her claims that she didn't know a thing about the criminal actions of the man she shared a house, life and political party with," he said.
SNP leader John Swinney has publicly apologised to donors who had their money splashed on luxury cookware and pencil sharpeners.
At a press conference, he said: "I am sorry to the people who are affected. I’m quite happy to say that."