Ann Widdecombe was scheduled to appear as a guest on Channel 5's Matt Allwright show via video call on Wednesday, the day before her body was discovered at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor. However, she never joined the broadcast, and repeated attempts by producers to contact her went unanswered.
Missed Appearance Raises Alarm
A researcher on the show spoke to Widdecombe by phone on Wednesday to arrange the interview, according to ITV News. After their call, they exchanged messages shortly after midday, with her last message received at 12.19pm. When the researcher messaged again at 12.48pm asking her to join a Zoom link for preparation, there was no reply. Subsequent voice calls and messages also received no response.
The show's team became concerned about the uncharacteristic lack of communication, as Widdecombe was a regular on the programme. They contacted her agent later on Wednesday and followed up again on Thursday.
Concerns Raised by Producers
A source told The Sun: 'It was very strange that Ann wasn’t on. Nobody could understand it. She was usually very keen to be on and she is popular with viewers. The producers couldn’t get a hold of her.'
'They tried multiple times on the phone and on text, but she wasn’t reading messages or responding. Obviously there was not much they could do except tell her agent she had not appeared and was not picking up calls. There was some fear that she’d had a medical incident, or maybe needed someone to check on her, but nobody thought she might be dead. The mood when everyone found out was very sad.'
Police Investigation Update
Widdecombe was found dead at her home on Thursday with serious injuries. A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation, Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed on Friday.
Dan Walker, a presenter on Channel 5 News, wrote on social media: 'Really sad news about Ann Widdecombe. Horrible to think about what she went through. To clarify something we said on the programme tonight… Ann was due to appear on 5 Daytime on Wednesday afternoon but stopped responding to messages and didn’t turn up for the show. The team contacted her agent to ask them to check in on her. This information has been passed to police as it’s part of the investigation.'
