Anton du Beke ‘devastated’ at death of Strictly co-star Ann Widdecombe

Political leaders and TV stars have expressed their sadness and shock at the death of Ann Widdecombe as police investigate the case as murder.

Anton Du Beke, who was her partner on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, said he was devastated by her death, which he called the “saddest of news”.

“I had the most brilliant time with Ann on Strictly Come Dancing, she became a real friend, she was fun, she was upbeat, she was positive, she was supportive, she was game, wanted to enter into the spirit of the whole thing,” he said in a video on X posted shortly before the murder probe was announced.

Widdecombe, 78, was found in her Devon home on Thursday morning with serious injuries, police say.

They say they have arrested a 26-year-old white British man on suspicion of murder.

Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman told journalists the case is not being treated as a terrorist incident and there is currently “no information” that there was a political motivation involved in the death of the former Conservative minister and Reform UK spokeswoman.

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party for which Widdecombe served as shadow home secretary from 1999 to 2001, said the party was “reeling”.

She described Widdecombe as “a very fun and feisty woman who spoke her mind”.

“My heart is breaking for her family,” she said.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Widdecombe as a “distinguished politician” and her death as a “significant loss”.

He called on people to “rise above any political differences”, adding that his thoughts are with her family “at this awful time”.

Starmer said he had spoken to Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, Badenoch, Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, as well as MP Andy Burnham, “to urge everybody to come together”.

In a video posted on social media, Farage said Widdecombe was “an extraordinary woman” and “someone who gave her life to public service, to fighting for the things she believed in”.

He described her as “a devout Christian and somebody with strong socially conservative views. Perhaps not popular in modern Britain but that is what Ann believed in.”