In her eight years in office, Nicola Sturgeon has had a huge impact on Scottish politics with opponents saying she will “take her place in history” following her shock resignation on Wednesday.

Perhaps one of Scotland’s most popular politicians ever, Ms Sturgeon enjoyed a 43% favourability rating just days before announcing her departure, according to Ipsos Mori.

Polling expert, Professor Sir John Curtice, told the BBC on Wednesday that Ms Sturgeon was the most popular leader in Scotland and the SNP was still the dominant party in the electorate.

He added: “That said, however, her popularity is now as low as it has been at any point during her tenure as First Minister.

“She was very, very popular in the early months and years. That reached a point where roughly half the people thought she was doing ok and half thought she wasn’t.

“She then got a very substantial boost during the pandemic when she was regarded as a very effective communicator and leader of her country, in contrast to Boris Johnson, but that’s been gradually diminishing.”

Ms Sturgeon came into office in November 2014 after the independence referendum.

She made history as the first politician to speak to a 12,000 strong crowd at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow in November 2014, one week into her tenure as First Minister.

Her first big success came at the May 2015 general election when the SNP toppled Labour as the dominant force in Scottish politics at Westminster, taking 56 out of a possible 59 seats in Scotland.

The following year, the SNP again dominated the elections for the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.

During her time in office, Ms Sturgeon introduced popular and progressive policies including the baby box, minimum unit pricing, expanding early years provision and improving outcomes for care-experienced young people.

As well as her role in politics, Sturgeon has also been noted for her sharp outfits and love of reading with book recommendations being a regular feature on her Twitter account.

She was one of the first politicians to speak openly about having a miscarriage and revealed she had lost a baby in 2011 while serving as the deputy first minister.

Ms Sturgeon has also spoken about going through the menopause and the challenges of dealing with the symptoms.

It is, perhaps, her more human side that has endeared her to the Scottish public for so long.

The outgoing First Minister was also hailed for her role in handling Scotland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic but was criticised for the policy of moving the elderly out of hospital and into care homes despite having Covid.

The later years of Ms Sturgeon’s tenure have been sullied with scandal and controversy, such as her unsuccessful pursuit of a second independence referendum.

She also presided over the ongoing Ferguson Marine ferries fiasco, which has seen two ferries being built late and over budget.

In recent months, she has also contended with a toxic row surrounding transgender rights following the passing of the Gender Recognition Act, which was later blocked by Westminster.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross broke the mould on Wednesday saying he was “glad” Sturgeon recognised it was the right time to go.

She told the PA news agency she intends to continue in her role as MSP for her Glasgow Southside constituency until “at least the next election”.