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The Liberal Democrats' general election campaign was uninspiring and Nick Clegg was awful in the first leaders' debate, a former ministerial aide has said.

Jenny Willott, who lost her Cardiff Central seat in May, said she "hated" some campaign messages.

"I didn't find it inspiring and if I didn't find it inspiring then heaven knows who would."

Speaking on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Wales, Ms Willott said the party was in a tough position, but will recover.

During the general election campaign, Mr Clegg said the Lib Dems would add heart to a Tory coalition and a brain to a Labour one.

"Saying 'we're not as bad as them and we're not as bad as them' I absolutely hated that, I don't think you'll see any of it on my literature from the election," Ms Willott told Sunday Supplement.

Ms Willott, who quit her post as a ministerial aide in 2010 to vote against the government on tuition fees, said Mr Clegg began the seven leader's television debate dreadfully, but rallied.

"Nick Clegg did his spiel at the beginning and I thought 'oh God, that's awful'. Then I was really worried about how he was going to perform.

"Then, answering the questions and things like that, I thought he was excellent, he was really full of inspiration, full of ideas and I agreed with everything he said," she added.