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General · 10 July 2026

Ann Widdecombe, former minister and Strictly star, dies at 78

Ann Widdecombe, former minister and Strictly star, dies at 78

© European Union 2019 - Source : EP via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

People who followed British politics and television have lost a well-known public figure. Ann Widdecombe died aged 78, her representative said on Friday 10 July 2026, after a career as a Conservative minister, MP and later a Brexit Party MEP. She entered Parliament in 1987 for Maidstone, left Westminster in 2010, and appeared on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.

Reported by Sky News · How we write briefs

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