Ann Widdecombe, a former British MP and MEP who also featured on Strictly Come Dancing, has died aged 78.
A statement from her management said: “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.”
Widdecombe was a Conservative MP between 1987 and 2010 for the Kent constituency of Maidstone, later Maidstone and the Weald, and held several ministerial positions in John Major’s government.
She famously clashed with her Conservative colleague Michael Howard, when she was a Home Office minister and he home secretary, describing him as having “something of the night about him”.
Widdecombe also faced flak for defending a policy of chaining pregnant prisoners to their beds.
A statement from Cloud9 Management, who represented her for more than a decade, said she would be missed “greatly”.
It read: “Her life and career were driven by her strong Christian values and commitment to public service.
“She loved the cut and thrust of political debate and, 16 years after leaving Parliament, was still actively campaigning for Reform UK and offering forthright views on the hot topics of the day across numerous radio and television programmes.
“Ann was a valued patron of many causes, particularly her animal charities.
“As Ann once said on The Graham Norton Show, ‘we get one go this side of eternity, one go. Life is not a dress rehearsal, you take opportunities that you like and you go for it, that’s my philosophy’.”
In her post-Commons career she appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 partnered with Anton du Beke, and survived until the competition’s semi-finals thanks to the public vote.
Her management company’s statement continued: “For many, of course, she will be best (or worst?) remembered for her unforgettable appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, defying the judges week after week as the public delighted in her unsuccessful attempts to follow the choreography of the long-suffering Anton Du Beke.
“A consummate professional and a delight to work with, indefatigable to the last, we know this news will come as a great shock to the many colleagues and friends she made along the way and our sympathies go to them and her family.”
Throughout her political career, Widdecombe was a prominent Eurosceptic and supported the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.
She became a member of the Brexit Party from 2019 and served as an MEP representing South West England in Brussels between 2019 and 2020.
Widdecombe joined Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in 2023, the successor to the Brexit Party, and made an appearance at its party conference the following year as Reform’s immigration spokesperson.
She was also known for her socially conservative views, which included opposing the legality of abortion and widening rights for the LGBT community during her Commons career.
She claimed to have no interest in sex, and never married.