Former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has revealed she isn't full of regret over not having children - as she opened up about how her miscarriage affected her.

The politician, 55, who served as the First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party from 2014 to 2023, suffered a miscarriage back in 2010.

Earlier this year, Nicola broke down in tears and felt 'exhausted and drained' while being grilled on ITV show The Assembly.

And in a special Unseen episode, which airs on Sunday, a female interviewer asked Nicola: 'I'm not sure I want to have children given the impact it could have on my career later on. 

'What advice would you give to young women in my position?'

She responded: 'Do what you feel is right in your heart. Don't let anybody pressure you.

'If you don't feel you want to have children, there's nothing wrong with that. 

'There's a huge expectation that women will have children and if you don't, there's kind of something wrong with you - you've been really hard hearted and put your career first. 

'There's lots of reasons why women don't have children. 

'Although I had the miscarriage and that really affected me, I don't feel full of regret that I don't have children. 

'I've got a happy, good life without children so I think you've just got to do what you feel is right and don't let anybody put any pressure on you.'

Meanwhile, Nicola's reflection on the miscarriage itself featured as part of the broadcast episode of The Assembly in March.

She admitted that she cried so much she 'didn't think she was going to be able to stop' after answering the question about suffering the loss.

Speaking about her experience, Nicola said: 'There were a couple of points when I felt quite overwhelmed.

'For example, when I started talking about the baby I lost to a miscarriage, the tears just started to flow and I didn’t think I was going to be able to stop.

'What I took from it was how cathartic it is to open up emotionally to a group of people with no agenda other than hearing honest answers – and to give my answers totally instinctively, without first putting them through the filter of how they might translate into hostile headlines.'

Despite the tricky line of questioning, Nicola added: 'I felt exhausted and really drained, but in a good way. It was a genuine rollercoaster of emotions – one minute I’d be laughing and the next, crying.

'This interview was different to anything I’ve done before - a totally unique experience. It sparked more raw emotion in me than I have ever shown on TV before, even in the most candid of the political interviews I’ve done over the years.

'There was no spin; just raw vulnerability on both sides.

'I am someone who naturally wants to wear my heart on my sleeve, but for a long time, my job and the kind of interviews I did meant that I had to be serious and guarded and keep my emotions in check.'

The Assembly airs on ITV1 and ITVX.