EMOTIONAL MOMENT: Jeremy Vine Pays Moving Tribute to Ann Widdecombe Live on Air
Jeremy Vine has shared a touching tribute to Ann Widdecombe hours before her funeral (Image: Channel 5)
Jeremy Vine has issued an emotional tribute to Ann Widdecombe as her loved ones gather to pay their respects at her funeral. The Tory MP was killed on July 8 when she was hit over the head with a hammer 21 times at her home in Haytor on Dartmoor, Devon. Joshua Kerry, 28, was charged with her murder on July 20. More than a month since her passing, her family are celebrating her life at the Catholic abbey in Buckfastleigh, Devon, where the former MP regularly attended Mass.
As her family, friends and peers gather to pay their respects today (August 12), her former colleague Jeremy Vine issued a tribute to the star from his Channel 5 studio. He began: “Before we move on, I do need to mention this today: Ann Widdecombe’s funeral service is taking place at the catholic abbey where she regularly worshipped.
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“Requiem mass will be held at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. We know many of you miss Ann. Here’s a clip from her last appearance on our show to remember how loved she was.”
The broadcaster shared a sweet clip of the politician and TV star working on the show last month, in which she spoke with an enthusiastic caller who praised her on-air work. When the clip ended, he concluded the poignant segment, stating simply: “That was the last time we saw her that day.”
It didn’t take long for viewers to flock to social media to express their respects. One user penned: “Rest in Peave Ann [prayer emoji]”, as another agreed: “Thinking of Ann Widdecombe today, as her loved ones gather for her funeral in Buckfast Abbey. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.”
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A third echoed: “Goodbye, Ann. Dreadful what happened to her. R. I. P [three prayer emojis].” A statement from Buckfast Abbey said: “Ann will be missed and fondly remembered, and many in the worshipping community knew her as a kind and warm character, as did we”. A public memorial will be held later this year.
The former Tory MP was laid to rest in Buckfast Abbey in Devon (Image: William Dax / SWNS)
Ahead of the service, which took place on Wednesday (August 12) at 2pm, police officers carried out security patrols outside the church. Officers were seen patrolling the grounds of Buckfast Abbey and carrying out security checks.
A police detection dog was spotted inspecting a bin and a seating area during a security search. The order of service for the requiem mass shows tributes will be paid by the Rev Roger Widdecombe, Miss Widdecombe’s nephew, and Sir Christian Sweeting, a close friend.
It states that donations made in memory of Miss Widdecombe will be divided between the Leprosy Mission and Abound to support the projects of the Christian Endeavour Hostel (CEH) in India. Miss Widdecombe was first elected as a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987, before becoming a prisons minister in the 1990s and later an MEP for the Brexit party.
At the time of her death, she was a spokeswoman on immigration and justice for Reform UK. She also found fame outside of politics on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
