Former MP Ann Widdecombe was a fan favourite on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, going from a rank outsider to just missing out on a place in the semi-finals
Despite her political career spanning several decades, Ann Widdecombe said Strictly was the ‘time of her life.’
Ann was an unlikely candidate for the glitzy BBC show but switched parliament for the dance floor in 2010.
Ann, whose death was confirmed on Friday at the age of 78, was a huge outsider when she signed up for the dance contest.
The odds were stacked against her but she became a viewer favourite thanks to her chaotic routines with her ever patient professional partner, Anton Du Beke. And she spoke of the thrill of the contest at the time and loved the reaction her fun side was getting from the public.
“The reaction I’ve had from the public has been incredible. I’ve been calling it Widdymania!” she joked of her new found popularity.
Competing on the show at the age of 63, Ann practiced six hours a day, three days a week as part of her training schedule. She watched as her odds to win the show plummeted from 150-1 to 10-1.
She said of the experience before she was finally voted off prior to the semi-finals.: “I’m a competitive person and I am doing my very best – and loving every minute.
“There is still a long way to go so talk of winning is silly. But I would love to make it at least to the show from Blackpool, so we have to survive two more eliminations.”
While she didn’t get the coveted Glitter Ball Trophy, she lasted a very impressive 10 weeks on the show. But Ann also admitted there was another moment she was denied. She had asked producers that when her time came to exit the show, they played her off to Nelly The Elephant.
““But they don’t want to do it because they say people might think THEY are being rude,” she said at the time. “I really want to go out to ‘Nelly the Elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus’ – because that will be me!”
She signed up for Strictly after being given the all-clear by doctors following an eye injury. She suffered a detached retina, which could have left her blind. She underwent surgery at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital and says she was “blessed” they could save her sight.
Ann’s passion for her time on Strictly was echoed by her teacher Anton who described their run together as the ‘epitome’ of his time on the show.
He joked about her strict boundaries during rehearsals. He recalled that she “declined to show anything above the ankle” and firmly refused to let him perform topless.
The death of the former MP and MEP was confirmed on Friday, with a sad statement from her management team. It read: “It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, DSG.
“We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and friends. We ask that the family’s wish not to be contacted at this sad time is respected.”
She had been a Conservative MP for Maidstone from 1987 until 2010. The politician later joined the Brexit Party in 2019. After the party was renamed Reform UK, she served as its Immigration and Justice spokesperson from 2023 until earlier this year.
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