FORMER Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew said she is “very grateful for the opportunities I got” after she confirmed that she has been removed from the Sinn Féin payroll.
The 55-year-old is a veteran Sinn Féin politician, first securing election to Westminster in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat in 2001, when she defeated UUP candidate James Cooper.
Ms Gildernew, made history in that UK general election when she became the first female candidate elected from Sinn Féin to the House of Commons in Westminster in over 80 years.
The politician, who served as the Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister, retained her seat in the 2005 and 2010 elections, before losing out to Tom Elliott in the 2015 Westminster election.
Ms Gildernew then won the seat in 2019. She stepped down from her role last year to contest the European elections, where she was unsuccessful in her bid to be MEP for Midlands-North-West.
In an interview with The Irish News, Ms Gildernew confirmed her contract of employment with Sinn Féin has not been renewed, after she was tasked with carrying out an internal party review.
“How could I have any rancour towards the people who gave me such great opportunities? One door has closed, but another is opening and I just want to see what else I can do,” she said.
“Sinn Féin has been good to me and they’ve given me loads of opportunities.
“The more I think about it, the more I’m just very grateful for the opportunities I got, for the places I’ve been, the people I’ve met. I’ve made great friends, not just in Sinn Féin but across the island and around the world. I’ve been so lucky,” added the former Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP.
It has been widely reported that the politician is being tipped for a career in media, although she insists that her priority is with her family and spending time with her husband, Jimmy.
“I’m 55, with tons of energy. I’ve got a great family network around me,” explained Ms Gildernew.
“Jimmy’s stroke was life altering, not life ending and he knows that I need to be busy, so he’s very content at home. Remember, I was prepared to go to Europe a year ago with Jimmy in the condition that he’s in, so it won’t be holding me back.”
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