Nicola Sturgeon passes driving test first time aged 53

Nicola Sturgeon thanked her "brilliant" driving instructor Andy MacFarlane

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has revealed she has passed her driving test on her first attempt, aged 53.

She told how she was taking lessons in March this year after stepping down as leader of the SNP.

At the time, Ms Sturgeon said she had not made time to learn when she was younger as she was focused on politics.

Posting the news on Instagram, the MSP for Glasgow Southside said this proved it was "never too late in life to do something new".

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She wrote: "So this happened today - at the tender age of 53, I passed my driving test (first time!)

"I couldn't have done it without my brilliant instructor, Andy MacFarlane of Caledonian Learner Driver Training.

"It was really important to me, as a 53-year-old former FM, not just to have an excellent teacher but someone I could trust and feel comfortable with - Andy was all of that and more."

In a BBC interview, the former first minister said learning to drive would give her more freedom after her years as SNP leader.

Ms Sturgeon returned to the Scottish Parliament in June after being arrested - and released without charge - as part of an investigation into SNP finances.

Since then she has announced she is writing a memoir covering her proudest achievements and regrets from her time in politics.

In September, she made a speech in Holyrood in which she backed successor Humza Yousaf's plan to tackle child poverty.

She has also given her full backing to the SNP's new independence strategy.