Ann Widdecombe's £600,000 home was featured in detail on an episode of Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House aired less than a week before her alleged murder. The 78-year-old former Strictly contestant and politician was found dead in a pool of blood in her remote Dartmoor bungalow on Thursday, July 9, after she stopped responding to texts and calls.
Auction episode aired days before death
The episode, broadcast on QuestTV on July 2, showed Widdecombe welcoming host Angus Ashworth to her whitewashed home in Haytor. She gave a full tour of the property, including the entrance, garden, conservatory, gym, library, kitchen, and dining room. 'I bought the views,' she said during the tour. The episode originally aired in 2022 and was repeated five days before her death.
Widdecombe told the show she chose the location 'quite deliberately to be as remote as I could, as was sensible.' The broadcast showed details of the gate and driveway, with the home visible on a hill. There is no suggestion the airing inspired or led to her death. Metro has approached Warner Bros Discovery for comment.
Murder investigation and arrest
Police launched a murder investigation after Widdecombe's body was found with serious injuries. A 28-year-old man from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday night. Counter-terrorism detectives later took the lead after new evidence emerged. The suspect was re-arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism.
A neighbour reported seeing the suspect hide a 'wooden stick or an iron bar' under his t-shirt before driving nearly 300 miles to Dartmoor. Another neighbour, Rayed Astle, 26, told the Daily Mail: 'He was someone you'd have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died.'
Political reactions
Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister and Brexit Party member, joined Reform UK as immigration spokesperson in 2023. Nigel Farage said the party is reviewing emails for abuse patterns but found nothing. Reform's Richard Tice described her as 'an absolute colossus, a legend in all our lifetime.' Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged people to 'rise above any political differences' and declined to speculate on motive.
Police believe the attack occurred on Wednesday, July 8, at around 12:30pm, coinciding with when Widdecombe stopped responding to messages. She missed a scheduled Zoom appearance on Channel 5, and a producer's messages went unopened.
