“SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN 79…” — ANN WIDDECOMBE’S STRICTLY MEMORIES HIT DIFFERENT NOW

She may have surprised everyone when she stepped onto the Strictly ballroom floor, but Ann Widdecombe left behind some of the show’s most unforgettable moments.

On October 4, Ann Widdecombe would have celebrated her 79th birthday.

Instead, the date became an opportunity for many to look back on the remarkable life of a woman who spent decades in public life — and whose unexpected journey on Strictly Come Dancing revealed a very different side of her.

Ann died in July 2026 at the age of 78.

For many television viewers, however, one chapter of her life remains particularly memorable: the year she traded political debates for sequins, music and a ballroom floor.

THE UNLIKELY STRICTLY STAR

Ann joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, shortly after retiring as an MP.

Paired with professional dancer Anton Du Beke, she quickly became one of the show’s most talked-about contestants.

It was never going to be a conventional Strictly journey.

Ann was not known for her dancing ability, and the judges’ scores were often low. But she brought something else to the competition — humour, determination and a willingness to make fun of herself.

Rather than taking every performance too seriously, she embraced the experience.

And audiences loved her for it.

ANN AND ANTON

Her partnership with Anton became one of the most memorable aspects of her time on the programme.

The professional dancer helped guide her through increasingly demanding routines, sometimes having to physically support her through the choreography.

Their unlikely pairing created plenty of comedy, but there was also genuine affection between them.

Ann later reflected on the freedom she felt while taking part in Strictly, saying that unlike politics, nobody’s life depended on whether she got a dance step right.

She famously joked that if she fell over on the dance floor, “apart from Anton’s shins, it couldn’t affect anything.”

That attitude perfectly captured what made her Strictly appearance so memorable.

 SHE WASN’T EXPECTED TO LAST

When Ann first stepped onto the ballroom floor, few people expected her to survive for long.

Yet she made it through nine weeks of the competition.

She was eventually eliminated, but by then she had already become one of the season’s most recognisable personalities.

Her Charleston with Anton remains one of the performances most closely associated with her Strictly story.

And while the judges may not have been impressed by every technical detail, viewers saw something else — a woman willing to laugh, take risks and put herself completely outside her comfort zone.

 A VERY DIFFERENT SIDE OF ANN

For years, Ann had been known primarily as a politician.

She served as a Conservative MP from 1987 to 2010 and held several ministerial positions before moving into television and other public roles.

But Strictly allowed audiences to see a more playful side of her personality.

The woman who had spent years in Westminster suddenly found herself in glittering costumes, learning choreography and performing in front of millions.

It was unexpected.

It was sometimes chaotic.

And it was unmistakably Ann.

 HER FINAL BIRTHDAY

Ann’s 79th birthday came just months after her death.

She was found at her home in Haytor, Devon, on July 9 after suffering serious injuries. Police launched a murder investigation, and Joshua Kerry, 28, was later charged with her murder. The case remains before the courts.

Her death shocked those who knew her and the many people who had followed her career.

But on her birthday, the focus for many was not on the circumstances of her death.

It was on the memories she left behind.

 THE MEMORIES LIVE ON

There was the politician.

The author.

The television personality.

The woman who became a Celebrity Big Brother finalist.

And, of course, the unlikely Strictly contestant who walked onto the dance floor with Anton Du Beke and refused to take herself too seriously.

Years after those performances first aired, the clips still have the power to make people smile.

That may be one of the most fitting ways to remember Ann.

Not simply for the positions she held or the arguments she had, but for the moments when she made millions of people laugh.

 “SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN 79…”

Ann Widdecombe’s 79th birthday has now passed, but the memories remain.

Her Strictly routines belong to another era of the show, yet they continue to capture something unmistakably human — the courage to try something new, the ability to laugh at yourself and the willingness to step outside the role people expect you to play.

She walked onto the ballroom floor as a politician.

She left it as something more unexpected:

a Strictly favourite who gave viewers memories that lasted far beyond the final dance.