Anton Du Beke has said he’s “devastated” by the death of his former Strictly Come Dancing partner Ann Widdecombe, who he was partnered with on the eighth series in 2010.
The professional dancer, 59, called Widdecombe’s death “the saddest of news” and said he would “remember her fondly and miss her” as police investigate the case as a murder.
“I had the most brilliant time with Ann on Strictly Come Dancing, she became a real friend,” Du Beke said in a video shared to social media shortly before the murder probe was announced.
“She was fun, she was upbeat, she was positive, she was supportive and she was game; wanted to enter into the spirit of the whole thing.”
Detectives launched a murder investigation into the 78-year-old’s death after she was found with serious injuries at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor.
Devon and Cornwall police assistant chief constable Matt Longman said the inquiry into the “tragic incident” was in its early stages, but moving at a “significant pace”.
The former Tory minister’s body was discovered after police were called to the home at 11.40am on Thursday.
Throughout her political career, Miss 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 before joining Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in 2023.
When Widdecombe took to the Strictly ballroom in 2010, the former Tory minister became an unexpected fan favourite, despite her low scores from the judges.
“Of course I’m the pantomime act,” Widdecombe told The Telegraph mid-way through the series. “Why should I mind? Would I have done it if I’d minded? I’m having fun.
“The viewing figures went up by a million when Anton and I came on. A lot of people are tuning in to see the elephant dance.”
She added: “Everything I did in politics affected somebody. This isn’t going to affect a soul. I can do no harm at all. If I end up in a heap, there are no constituents to let down.”
Du Beke and Widdecombe survived to the tenth week of the BBC dance competition, by winning over audiences with their self-deprecating charm, before becoming the ninth couple to be sent home.
Upon elimination, Widdecombe said her time on Strictly had been “tremendous”, declaring the experience “[the] time of my life”.
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