Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative minister who found a second career on Strictly Come Dancing and became a prominent Brexit campaigner, has died aged 78.
A statement from her agents, Cloud9 Management, confirmed her death on Friday. “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of The Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, DSG,” they said, asking that the family’s wish not to be contacted be respected.
“Ann Widdecombe, former Tory MP and Strictly star, dies aged 78.”
Widdecombe served as the Conservative MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years, from 1987 until she stood down at the 2010 general election. Under Sir John Major’s government she held ministerial posts at the Home Office and the Department of Employment, including responsibility for prisons and immigration. She later served as shadow home secretary and shadow health secretary.
After leaving the Commons, she swapped politics for the ballroom. Partnered with Anton Du Beke on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, she became a fan favourite despite regularly finishing near the bottom of the judges’ leaderboard, surviving for 10 weeks and eventually placing sixth. The show led to a live tour, pantomime with Craig Revel Horwood, and an appearance at the Royal Opera House. In 2018 she was runner-up on Celebrity Big Brother.
Widdecombe returned to politics in 2019, joining Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and winning a seat as an MEP for South West England, a post she held until the UK left the EU in January 2020. When the party rebranded as Reform UK in 2023, she became its immigration and justice spokesperson, a role she held until her death.
Nigel Farage credited her with playing a “decisive role” in getting Brexit “over the line”. “When Ann Widdecombe decided to stand for The Brexit Party in the snap 2019 European Elections, it was a big moment and huge boost. The voters loved her,” he wrote on X.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described her as a “formidable politician who was never afraid to speak her mind”. Iain Duncan Smith said she expressed views “strongly and straight, which was refreshing in many senses and sometimes difficult”. Gyles Brandreth recalled a “curious mix of Danny de Vito and Margaret Rutherford”. Michael Howard, with whom she clashed at the Home Office and whom she once said had “something of the night about him”, said they had “made up” and praised her as a “feisty lady”.
Widdecombe remained outspoken until the end. In her final TV appearance, speaking at a Ladies Lunch club in Jersey, she urged candidates to “tell the truth” and dismissed complaints about Brexit queues: “We’re the nation that endured the Blitz … and now you’re saying that it’s worth giving up our sovereignty so you can get through the e-gates quicker? I mean spare me, spare me!”
Her management said her career was driven by “strong Christian values”. They quoted her as saying: “We get one go this side of eternity … Life is not a dress rehearsal.”