“SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN 79 TODAY…” — ANN WIDDECOMBE’S STRICTLY MEMORIES FEEL DIFFERENT NOW
“SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN 79 TODAY…” — ANN WIDDECOMBE’S STRICTLY MEMORIES FEEL DIFFERENT NOW
Her unforgettable time on the ballroom floor with Anton Du Beke brought laughter, surprises and some of Strictly’s most memorable moments. Today, those memories carry a deeper meaning.
There was a time when seeing Ann Widdecombe step onto the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom floor was enough to make viewers smile.
She was not there to become the show’s most technically accomplished dancer.
She was there to have fun.
And somehow, alongside professional dancer Anton Du Beke, she became one of the programme’s most unforgettable personalities.
Now, with Ann having died aged 78 earlier this year, memories of those extraordinary performances are being looked at differently.
A POLITICIAN WHO WALKED INTO A VERY DIFFERENT WORLD
Before Strictly, Ann Widdecombe was best known for a long career in British politics.
She served as a Conservative MP for Maidstone and later Maidstone and The Weald from 1987 until 2010, spending more than two decades in Westminster.
But in 2010, audiences were introduced to another side of her.
Ann joined the eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing and was paired with Anton Du Beke.
The combination was immediately memorable.
She brought her unmistakable personality.
Anton brought the dancing.
Together, they created something that went far beyond the judges’ scores.
ANN AND ANTON — THE PARTNERSHIP FANS COULDN’T FORGET
Ann and Anton became known for performances that often leaned into comedy and self-deprecation.
Rather than pretending to be something she wasn’t, Ann embraced the joke.
She famously described herself as the show’s “pantomime act” and said she was simply having fun.
That attitude helped turn the pair into unexpected audience favourites.
Despite receiving low scores from the judges, they remained in the competition for 10 weeks — a remarkable run that showed just how strongly viewers connected with them.
Their routines became memorable not because they were flawless, but because they were unmistakably Ann.
SHE WAS NEVER AFRAID TO LAUGH AT HERSELF
Ann’s Strictly journey was full of moments that could easily have embarrassed another celebrity.
Instead, she appeared willing to embrace them.
The show gave audiences an opportunity to see the woman behind the political reputation — someone capable of laughing at herself and throwing herself into an experience completely outside her comfort zone.
Even years later, memories of her performances continued to resurface among Strictly fans.
And Anton remained one of the people who remembered that period most fondly.
ANTON’S HEARTFELT TRIBUTE
Following Ann’s death, Anton paid tribute to the woman who had become much more than a dance partner.
He described their time together as brilliant and said Ann had become a real friend.
He remembered her as fun, upbeat, positive and supportive, adding that they had stayed firm friends after their time on the programme.
For Anton, their partnership was not simply another chapter in a television series.
It had become a genuine friendship.
A DIFFERENT SIDE OF ANN
Away from the ballroom, Ann continued to be a distinctive and often outspoken public figure.
But her years in the spotlight also showed another side of her — her willingness to try something unexpected and allow audiences to see her vulnerability.
Strictly gave millions of viewers a chance to see her outside Parliament.
There was no constituency to represent on the dance floor.
No political speech to deliver.
Just music, costumes, choreography and the challenge of making it through another week.
And Ann embraced it.
NOW THE LAUGHTER FEELS DIFFERENT
Ann died in July 2026, aged 78.
Her death was announced with tributes from politicians, broadcasters, friends and people who had followed her career for decades. The UK government described her as a distinctive and devoted public servant, while tributes also remembered her very different television career.
Her death has inevitably changed the way some fans look back at those Strictly performances.
The same routines that once produced laughter now carry a sense of nostalgia.
The same partnership with Anton feels more precious.
And the woman who once walked onto the ballroom floor simply wanting to enjoy herself has become part of Strictly history.
A LEGACY THAT GOES BEYOND THE DANCE FLOOR
Ann Widdecombe’s life was much larger than her time on a television dance show.
She spent decades in public service, wrote books and columns, and remained a familiar figure in British public life long after leaving Parliament.
But for many television viewers, another memory will always remain.
Ann in her dancing shoes.
Anton beside her.
A ballroom audience laughing and cheering.
And a woman who was willing to step outside her comfort zone and enjoy the moment.
She would have been 79 today.
And although Ann is no longer here to celebrate another birthday, those unforgettable Strictly moments remain — preserved in the memories of the people who watched her dance, laugh and, for a little while, simply enjoy herself.
SOME MEMORIES DON’T FADE — THEY JUST BECOME MORE PRECIOUS WITH TIME.
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