Former Aus PM Julia Gillard says losing power 'hit her like a fist'

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that losing power hit her 'like a fist' and that she chose to spend the night of the federal election alone.

According to the Guardian, Gillard expressed that the feeling of losing power was felt physically, emotionally and in waves of sensation, and that the pain was so strong, it got into her guts and nerve endings, hitting her like a fist.

Gillard also expressed that Labor lost the election because Kevin Rudd returned without 'one truly original new idea' and because he was unable to explain her enduring policy achievements, the report said.

The wide-ranging article is the first time Gillard has made any comment about her removal as prime minister of Australia in June, the report added.