Nicola Sturgeon has described self-doubt as a “secret superpower” that drove her career, saying in an interview that she does not think she would have “got as far in politics without it”.

Excerpts from the former first minister of Scotland’s new memoir, Frankly, were published by The Times this week, ahead of the book’s release on Thursday.

The pieces discuss some of the hardest moments of her life and career, as well as conflicted feelings over motherhood and sexuality.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Ms Sturgeon described herself as a “public introvert”, telling the paper: “I am somebody who can come alive on a stage in front of thousands of people, but put me at a dinner table with four people and I will struggle much, much more.”

I feel happier than I’ve possibly ever felt

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