Humza Yousaf was quick to hail his wife as his “compass” during his victory speech as Scotland’s new first minister.
But she’s also a well-connected SNP politician in her own right in Dundee.
Here’s all you need to know about Nadia El-Nakla, the 39-year-old councillor married to the country’s sixth first minister.
Nadia El-Nakla’s marriage to Humza Yousaf
Mr Yousaf and Ms El-Nakla tied the knot in 2019. The SNP leader, who is a Glasgow MSP, moved to Dundee five years ago so they could stay together.
The couple had a daughter together four years ago. Mr Yousaf is also a stepfather to Ms El-Nakla’s eldest girl from her previous marriage.
The new SNP chief said immediately after winning his wife had helped “guide me through the most difficult of times”.
He told her: “There is no way I would be here if it was not for your love, your support and the advice you give me, thank you for believing in me and always being there for me.
“I love you more than I can ever find words.”
Political career
A long-time SNP activist, Ms El-Nakla was a psychotherapist before she formally entered politics.
She worked as a caseworker for veteran Dundee MSP Shona Robison, who is now Mr Yousaf’s No2 as deputy first minister and finance chief.
Ms El-Nakla stood as a candidate for the SNP in the 2021 Holyrood election, but was unsuccessful.
She was elected as a councillor in Dundee’s West End ward the following year as her party regained their majority in the city.
She is currently her party’s equalities spokesperson in the council.
Before her marriage to Mr Yousaf, Ms El-Nakla was embroiled in a local scandal after her affair with ex-SNP Dundee councillor Craig Melville.
Mr Melville, who had been a rising star in the party, was left in disgrace after being found guilty of sending a barrage of racist texts to Ms El-Nakla in 2015.
Time as councillor
When she was elected Ms El-Nakla said she wanted to “invest in women” by helping to encourage them to get more involved in local politics.
Alongside fighting for gender equality, the West End councillor has been involved in tackling the city’s drug abuse crisis, and she is also a keen advocate for mental health.
In February, she joined her local SNP colleagues in backing a controversial 4.75% council tax hike.
Opposition parties were left angry after her party, led by Councillor John Alexander, approved a raft of cuts in their budget.
During her time in office, Ms El-Nakla has also been strongly outspoken against racism and last year she condemned locals who unveiled a White Lives Matter banner.
Nadia El-Nakla’s family life and background
Ms El-Nakla was born in Scotland and grew up in Tayside.
Her father Maged is from Palestine and she has family who still live there.
In October, he and wife Elizabeth – a retired Dundee nurse – were trapped in Gaza while visiting relatives as Israel bombarded the territory.
But after weeks of worry and fears for their life, the couple made it out of Palestine at the Egyptian border on November 3.
Elizabeth later said in a TV interview: “I think no-one can understand how that makes you feel when you’ve been in a situation where you think that you may die.”
Dundee councillor Ms El-Nakla went to school in Monifieth, Angus, where she raised money to help refugees fleeing war in Kosovo.
She also previously founded charity group Tayside Justice in Palestine to draw attention to the crisis..
Nursery row
In 2021, Ms El-Nakla and her husband were at the centre of a major row after they sued a Dundee nursery over claims bosses discriminated against their young daughter.
The couple alleged that Little Scholars, in Broughty Ferry where they stay, was more willing to accept similar applications with “white Scottish-sounding names”.
A complaint against the nursery was partly upheld by the Care Inspectorate.
Mr Yousaf and his wife dropped their legal action in February, shortly before Ms Sturgeon resigned and the new first minister launched his leadership bid to take over.
The nursery has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
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