Ann Widdecombe dies aged 78
Former MP and Strictly star Ann Widdecombe, who defied the odds by reaching the 10th week of the BBC Latin and ballroom series in 2010, has died aged 78.
Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78.
The former MP and Strictly Come Dancing star's agents, Cloud 9 Management, have confirmed Ann's passing.
They said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, DSG.
"We send our deepest condolences to Ann's family and friends."
Widdecombe, who was known for her honest opinions, was Conservative MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years, from 1987 until 2010, and she had several ministerial positions, including Shadow Home Secretary and Minister of State for Prisons, under former Prime Minister John Major, in the 1990s.
She later defected to Nigel Farage's then-Brexit Party in 2019.
While she was best known as a politician, Ann became an even bigger household name in 2010 when she appeared on Strictly.
She was paired with popular professional dancer Anton Du Beke, and despite regularly scoring low marks, the pair defied the odds and reached Week 10 of the programme before they were eliminated.
During her Strictly journey, she was infamously described as a "Dalek in drag" by then-show judge Bruno Tonioli.
She even made a dancefloor comeback in 2018, for the Strictly Christmas special.
As well as her Strictly stint, Ann also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018, finishing runner-up to winner Courtney Act in series 21.
During the series, she was criticised over her comments regarding the Harvey Weinstein controversy
Some of Ann's other TV credits included hosting quiz show Have I Got News For You twice, in 2006 and 2007, which resulted in comedian Paul Merton dubbing her as the "queen of comedy".
What's more, Ann hosted quiz show Cleverdicks, guest hosted an episode of BBC's Songs of Praise, appeared in the BBC series Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, and she starred in the new celebrity version of The Crystal Maze.
