BREAKING NEWS:GB News halted as host ‘struggling to hold back tears’ in Ann Widdecombe update
Mourners gathered to pay their respects to Ann Widdecombe who was laid to rest.
GB News halted as host ‘struggling to hold back tears’ in Ann Widdecombe update (Image: Getty)
GB News presenter Andrew Pierce joined mourners as they gathered at Buckfast Abbey in Devon for Ann Widdecombe’s funeral held on Wednesday. About 100 family, friends and colleagues have attended the funeral of the former Tory minister which was held at the Catholic abbey where she regularly worshipped and called her “safe haven”. Ann died on July 8 aged 78 and was found with serious head injuries at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor.
Those attending could be seen wearing black as they arrived at the requiem mass – a Catholic service where prayers are offered for the soul of the dead – for the former MP, who later became a Reform UK spokeswoman.
The live broadcast was halted as Andrew shared an update with viewers as he “struggled to hold back tears” at the emotional ceremony. Speaking on GB News, he began, “It’s been a remarkably emotional day as you can imagine. The family wanted it to just be family and friends. It was a requiem mass at Buckfast Abbey. Most Sundays, she would be here at mass. Very close to her home at Widdecombe’s rest on Dartmoor where she met that terrible death.
Andrew continued: “Her nephew, Roger, a Church of England vicar spoke for many when he said, ‘none of us can understand the nature of the death. None of us can digest the shock of what happened.’ Of course we can’t.”
He added, “I was struggling to hold the tears back.”
A statement from the Abbey Church earlier said Ann would be “missed and fondly remembered” and “many in our worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character”.
“Ann was a woman of profound faith, a faith which found expression in the public forum of politics,” it said.
‘It has been a remarkably emotional day.’
GB News Presenter Andrew Pierce speaks live from Buckfast Abbey, where mourners gathered for the funeral of Ann Widdecombe earlier today
It added: “Ann was unafraid to express her unwavering convictions, formed through her Roman Catholic faith. She had a sharp intellect and was a dedicated public servant.”
The order of service also included tributes paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, Widdecombe’s nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend.
A public memorial for Ann is due to be held later this year.
