Who is Humza Yousaf's wife Nadia El

Release time：2024-05-21 13:51:23 Source：Earthly Echo news portal

As Humza Yousaf sensationally resigned today, capping an extraordinary meltdown triggered by sacking his Green coalition partners, he paid an emotional tribute to his family and 'wonderful wife'.

The Scottish First Minister tearfully announced he has quit after failing to drum up enough support to survive a confidence vote in a shocking fall from grace for Mr Yousaf, 39, who took over from Nicola Sturgeon barely a year ago.

After he summarily ditched the Greens from the Bute House coalition deal - and publicly humiliated them by making them do a walk of shame in view of cameras - they pledged to back a no confidence motion tabled by the Tories .

Watched by his wife Nadia in Edinburgh , Mr Yousaf conceded he had 'underestimated' the backlash from ditching the Bute House deal, adding: 'I'm not willing to trade my values... simply for retaining power.

Humza Yousaf sensationally resigned today capping an extraordinary meltdown triggered by sacking his Green coalition partners

He added: 'Politics can be a brutal business. It takes its toll on your physical and mental health - your family suffer alongside you. 

'I am in absolute debt to my wonderful wife, my beautiful children and my wider family for putting up with me over the years, I am afraid you will be seeing a lot more of me from now. You are truly everything to me.'

As Mr Yousaf's wife supports her husband following his whirlwind resignation, FEMAIL takes a look at the woman who has supported the former Scottish First Minister throughout his campaign, as well as the children they've raised.

Who is Nadia El-Nakla?

Humza Yousaf with his wife Nadia El-Nakla as he arrives to be sworn in as Scotland's First Minister at the Scottish High Court in Edinburgh

Humza (pictured with his wife and their daughter) narrowly won the bitter five-week battle to succeed Nicola Sturgeon on March 27, 2023

Ms El-Nakla, 39, who has a Palestinian father, was born in Scotland. She married Mr Yousaf in 2019 and the couple live in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee. 

Who is former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf? 

Humza Yousaf became Scotland's first Muslim Cabinet minister in 2018, when he was appointed justice secretary.

The 39-year-old father has been MSP for Glasgow Pollok since 2016, having previously been elected to the Scottish Parliament as an additional member for the Glasgow region in 2011 at the age of just 26.

He has been serving as the Scottish Government's health secretary, and was widely regarded as the 'continuity' candidate - although Nicola Sturgeon had refused to back anyone. 

Mr Yousaf was voted in as Scotland's new First Minister in March 2023, following Nicola Sturgeon's shock resignation. 

After only a year in office, Humza Yousaf bowed out as SNP leader today, following an extraordinary meltdown triggered by sacking his Green coalition partners.

The former Scottish First Minister admitted to failing to drum up enough support to survive a confidence vote.  

He said the government needed to be led by someone who could bring MSPs together, although he would stay on as interim leader to ensure continuity. 

Mr Yousaf has a daughter and a stepchild with his second wife Nadia El-Nakla. 

They have one three-year-old daughter together, Amal. Ms El-Nakla also has a daughter from a previous marriage. 

In May 2022, the trained psychotherapist became an SNP councillor for the West End of Dundee.

After winning the council seat, she said, via The National: 'I really want to take this time in the next five years to invest in women and get them into politics because in the Broughty Ferry ward I don’t think we’ve ever seen a female councillor in I don’t know how long.'

She has worked for Scottish Government minister Shona Robison and stood for the SNP in North East Scotland in the 2021 Holyrood election. However, she was unsuccessful.

The mother-of-two doesn't have a large social media presence, however she does appear often on her husband's Instagram account. 

Showing their fun side, the couple have also joined their daughters on an amusing TikTok video to launch Mr Yousaf's profile.

Sharing it on Twitter in December 2020, he wrote: 'So after telling me not to ruin TikTok for her, my step-daughter decided to direct our first bit of content. 

'Bit of light-hearted fun - and don't worry no dad dancing...!' he concluded about the clip, which showed the family decide between different options as they were presented throughout the video. 

Why else has Ms El-Nakla been in the news? 

Details of Ms El-Nakla's marriage breakdown to IT expert Fariad Umar were reportedly made public in a court case in 2018. 

She confessed to having an affair with a fellow SNP member who was accused of sending her racist texts, according to the Scottish Daily Express.

Meanwhile, in 2021 Mr Yousaf and his second wife launched a legal complaint against a nursery, accusing it of racial discrimination after it denied admission to their daughter.

Humza and Nadia share a three-year-old daughter together, Amal. Ms El-Nakla also has a daughter Maya from a previous marriage

The couple regularly show off their fun side on TikTok along with their daughters to help launch Mr Yousaf's profile

Humza Yousaf with his wife Nadia El-Nakla, daughter Amal and step-daughter (left) at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on March 27, 2023

Ms El-Nakla (pictured with Mr Yousaf, left), 39, who has a Palestinian father, was born in Scotland. She married Mr Yousaf in 2019 and the couple live in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee

After being told there was no space for the couple's daughter at Little Scholars in Broughty Ferry near Dundee, Ms El-Nakla and a friend put in fake applications for children with 'white-sounding names'. 

While a watchdog told the nursery to change its procedures, Ms El-Nakla dropped her legal action against it. The nursery denied the accusations.

In August 2021, in a statement released through their solicitor, the couple said: 'Despite being given ample opportunity, Little Scholars Day Nursery in Broughty Ferry have failed to admit, explain or apologise for their discriminatory behaviour.

'We have both stood against hatred our whole lives, often being the targets of vile abuse. We will not accept our children being discriminated against by anyone.

'Like any other parents we simply want our children to be treated equally, regardless of their colour of skin or religion.

In May 2022, the trained psychotherapist (pictured with her family) became an SNP councillor for the West End of Dundee

The mother-of-two doesn't have a large social media presence, however she does appear often on her husband's Instagram account (pictured)

Showing their fun side, the couple have also joined their daughters on an amusing TikTok video to launch Mr Yousaf's profile

Humza Yousaf hugs his wife Nadia El-Nakla and daughter Amal at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on March 27, 2023

'We strongly believe we have evidence of systemic discrimination being carried out by Little Scholars Day Nursery.

'As passionate believers in the fairness of Scotland's justice system, we have now instructed our solicitor Aamer Anwar to initiate court proceedings and are determined to fight for justice for our daughter.'

A spokesperson for the nursery told the Daily Record at the time: 'Our nursery is extremely proud of being open and inclusive to all and any claim to the contrary is demonstrably false and an accusation that we would refute in the strongest possible terms.'

The spokesperson added: 'In addition to our owners being of Asian heritage, across more than a decade we have regularly welcomed both children and staff from a range of different religious, cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds including two Muslim families currently.

'We have also regularly made arrangements to accommodate different lifestyles by, for example, providing a halal menu for those children who come from Muslim families.'

Related articles