Former Conservative minister turned Reform UK member and Strictly Come Dancing star Anne Widdecombe has died at 78.
Her management confirmed the former MP and MEP’s death on Friday, saying she would be missed “greatly”.
Ms Widdecombe served as an MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years, from 1987 to 2010, and was a minister of state for prisons and employment in John Major’s government.
She held the posts of shadow home secretary and shadow health secretary in opposition.
She later went on to join Reform UK and become a vocal champion of Brexit.
“It is with great sadness that today we announce the death of the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe, DSG,” a statement from Cloud9 Management, who represented her for more than a decade, said.
“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.”
Ms Widdecombe stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2010 election and went on to compete on Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Anton Du Beke.
She later appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, where she finished second, in 2018.
Ms Widdecombe returned to politics in 2019 with the Brexit Party – later renamed Reform UK – and won the South West England seat in the European Parliament election.
She held the seat until the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.
From 2023 to 2026, she was the immigration and justice spokesperson for Reform UK.
Ms Widdecombe was active on the speaking circuit and wrote a column for the Daily Express for 20 years.
In 2013, she published her memoirs, Strictly Ann.
The statement from her agents said that her career was “driven by her strong Christian values and commitment to public service”.
Despite leaving Parliament 16 years ago, she was “still actively campaigning for Reform UK” up until her death, they said.
“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.”
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