The woman at the centre of a reported SNP love triangle involving Dundee and Western Isles MPs Stewart Hosie and Angus MacNeil will stand as an election candidate in Angus.
It emerged in 2016 that Serena Cowdy had become romantically involved with Mr Hosie, who was at the time married to SNP minister Shona Robison, while she was working as a journalist at Westminster.
Ms Cowdy was also reported to have had an affair at the same time with the then married Mr MacNeil.
Mr Hosie quit as deputy leader of the party following the revelation.
He split from Ms Robison and later married Ms Cowdy in 2018.
The ex-journalist confirmed she will be standing for the SNP in the Arbroath, West Letham and Friockheim ward.
Voting plea
She urged locals to register to vote ahead of the May ballot.
In a promotional video, she said: “If you want to have a say in how the council is run, it’s really important you register to vote in time.
“You don’t need to have been born in Scotland in order to vote here. You could be from somewhere else in the UK like me, or a foreign national from another country.
“If you’ve made Scotland your home you can vote and change things for the better.”
‘I apologise for any hurt and upset I have caused’
Nicola Sturgeon said in 2016 there was no need for Stewart Hosie to stand down as deputy of the party’s Westminster group when the love triangle allegations emerged.
He remained in the post for a full year after he resigned as deputy party leader before quitting the role in 2017.
He is still an MP for the SNP and is currently the shadow chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster.
In a letter after the affair emerged, he wrote: “I am writing to you firstly to apologise for any hurt and upset I have caused to friends, family and colleagues. That was never my intention.”
Keith Brown later succeeded him as SNP deputy leader.
Scottish Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw urged the parliamentary standards commissioner to probe Mr Hosie and Mr MacNeil over accommodation expenses following the affairs.
But the watchdog later said they would not be investigating either of the MPs.
📺 Watch our candidate Serena Cowdy encourage new Scots to register to vote.
📢 Your voice matters, please register to vote and let your voice be heard at the ballot box.
🗳📱 For information on eligibility, and to register to vote visit: https://t.co/69IahBKJmI pic.twitter.com/zqfxu0KIo6
— Angus SNP (@AngusSNP) March 11, 2022