Ann Widdecombe opened the doors of her £600,000 Dartmoor property for a television programme that aired just five days before reports claimed she was allegedly killed in her kitchen.
The former government minister and her bungalow in Haytor, Devon, appeared on Quest’s Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House.
During the episode, Widdecombe showed presenter Angus Ashworth around the home, explaining that she treasured the “peace, quiet and solitude” offered by her Devon hideaway.
The instalment, which sees auctioneer Mr Ashworth and his team help well-known guests sort through and sell unwanted possessions, was recorded in 2022 and screened on July 2.
Its broadcast coincided with footage emerging of the main suspect in the alleged killing, showing him on CCTV getting into his car with what appeared to be a large baton protruding from his pocket on the day she was said to have been beaten to death.
Widdecombe took Mr Ashworth through several areas of the property, including the garden, conservatory, gym, library, dining room and the kitchen where she was later reportedly found with fatal injuries.
Viewers were also shown the outside of the house, along with the driveway leading up to the property.
In a poignant moment, Ms Widdecombe spoke warmly about her decision to spend retirement there, near what she described as “the idyllic Devonshire coast”.
‘I came down here quite deliberately to be as remote as I could, as was sensible,’ she said.
‘I’ve got what I want, which is peace, quiet, solitude. Of course, I’m friendly with some of the neighbours. I’m not a recluse.’
While there is currently no suggestion that the TV pictures of her home led to her death, or inspired any attacker, a former counter-terrorism detective at Scotland Yard said that ‘unscrupulous’ individuals do target homes in this way.
David Videcette, who investigated the 7/7 bombings said: ‘This sort of thing is a real problem nowadays. There’re plenty of free tools for unscrupulous individuals to identify where you live from a photo or video, there’s even more when you’re prepared to pay.’
Ann Widdecombe greets Angus Ashworth as she gives a tour of the £600,000 Dartmoor home for a TV show broadcast just five days before she was killed
The show, Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House, included shots of the kitchen where she died
Ann showing items she wished to sell at auction
The show also showed the exterior of the house and the drive – but the name plate was removed and location masked
The suspect in Ann Widdecombe’s murder captured on CCTV leaving the property on a run-down Rotherham estate shortly before 8am on Wednesday. What appears to be a pole bulged from his shorts pocket
Ann made £1,445 from selling items in her home at auction, including a rare Japanese dish and a teddy bear.
‘Part of the retirement plan was to have a clear-out of old things,’ she said.
The man, who the Daily Mail is not naming, was arrested on suspicion of killing the former Tory MP after a dozen armed officers descended on his council house in South Yorkshire on Saturday night.
He was captured on CCTV leaving the property on a run-down Rotherham estate shortly before 8am on Wednesday – the day the 78-year-old died.
The footage shows what appears to be a baton or pole more than a foot long in his left pocket.
The man, who neighbours described as a recluse, was filmed climbing into a red hatchback before allegedly travelling some 267 miles – a journey of around five hours – to Ms Widdecombe’s remote property at Haytor on Dartmoor.
Police believe the former Tory minister, who was found dead the following morning, was killed shortly after midday on Wednesday.
Neighbours said the man held over her death was an unemployed ‘loner’ who rarely left home and had become increasingly introverted following his father’s death last year.
But early on Wednesday morning, the suspect, who lived alone, was spotted on CCTV leaving his terraced home and getting into a run-down vehicle parked on the driveway.
‘He comes out of the house and walks towards the red car,’ said a neighbour familiar with the footage, which has been shared with police.
Ann Widdecombe was killed in her home on Wednesday last week and discovered 24 hours later
They said he appeared to be carrying a stick concealed under his top before placing it inside the car.
‘It looked like a wooden stick or an iron bar, about a foot long, and it was pushing up underneath his T-shirt as he got into the car,’ the person added.
‘He seemed calm and there is nothing to suggest anything unusual was happening.’
It comes as Devon and Cornwall Police said there was no indication that the violent murder was ‘politically motivated’ or ‘terrorism-related’ despite Ms Widdecombe’s public profile.
She was first elected a Conservative MP in Kent in 1987 before she went on to serve as an MEP for the Brexit Party and then a spokesman for Reform UK.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman said: ‘At this point, there is still no information to suggest that this is a terrorism-related incident and at this point we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this murder.
‘At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that it was politically motivated.’
He said detectives ‘remain open-minded about the potential motive’ and stressed it is not believed there is any threat to the wider public.
He urged people ‘not to share or engage with that speculation’, saying: ‘It’s unhelpful, it doesn’t aid our investigation and particularly it’s distressing to family and friends of Ms Widdecombe.’
Chief Constable James Vaughan, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the force has ‘mounted an extraordinary response to a horrific murder of a very prominent public figure’.
He added: ‘The operation has been running at a lightning pace for 48 hours.
‘I am really pleased that we have a suspect firmly in custody and that will undergo some further work from us today.’
Ms Widdecombe’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief with tributes to the former Tory minister.
On Monday, Jeremy Vine broke down on live TV today over the alleged murder of close friend and regular guest Ann Widdecombe.
The broadcaster wiped away tears as he revealed that a member of his team had been in contact with the former Tory minister ‘by chance’ on the day she died.
Ms Widdecombe appeared on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine Show more than 50 times and was also a regular on his BBC Radio 2 programme.
Forensic officers were seen heading into the house, after it was confirmed there is no evidence to suggest the murder was politically motivated
Forensic officers were still searching the man’s mid-terraced address in the town’s Kimberworth Park area on Sunday as uniformed officers stood guard outside.
Neighbours said around a dozen armed officers had surrounded the property at around 9pm on Saturday before knocking loudly at the door.
Courtney Foster, 25, who lives next door with partner Rayed Astle, 26, said: ‘We were in the kitchen and just saw the officers running up. Some were armed. Then they banged on the door very loudly.
‘They didn’t smash the door down because he opened it. They asked him his name, he confirmed it and they took him away.’
Ms Foster said police also took the man’s pet labradoodle, adding: ‘There were about 12 officers and quite a few cars. It was quite a shock.’
Describing the man, Mr Astle said that he had barely spoken to anyone since his father, who he had moved in with around a year ago, died last December.
‘He was someone you’d have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died. He became very quiet. He kept himself to himself and wouldn’t really speak to anyone,’ he added.
Ms Foster added: ‘He was always in the house and I don’t think he worked.’
Other neighbours said the man’s red Vauxhall Corsa ‘barely moved’ from the drive – to the extent it had begun to rust with weeds growing on it.
Police were searching an address in Rotherham on Sunday where they arrested a man on suspicion of Ann Widdecombe’s murder
A cordon remains at Ms Widdecombe’s bungalow in Haytor, Devon, and police said locals will notice a heightened presence for the next few days
Floral tributes have been left on the grass outside her home, including a framed photograph of Ms Widdecombe
‘The car was normally left outside for long periods, so it just stood out that he was driving away so early in the morning,’ one added.
Another local said: ‘He is one of three brothers but the others moved out, so he was living on his own.
‘His father died before Christmas and I think it affected him. He seemed to change because he became even more introverted.
‘You would barely see him – to the point where you’d presume the house was unoccupied. Now and again you’d see the upstairs light on but that was it.’
Another resident, who witnessed the arrest, said: ‘The police came at about 9.10pm. There were about a dozen officers armed with guns, both in the front garden and the back garden.
‘They knocked on the door and he opened up. They asked his name and he was taken away.
‘It was quite quiet, really. There was no commotion….It was very quiet how they turned up. There was no lights, no noise – our Ring doorbell didn’t even go off.’
Neighbour Kingsley Whybrow, 29, said: ‘I’ve never seen anyone come in and out of that house, ever.
‘He drove a red Corsa that was parked outside – it had started to rust and there was vegetation growing on it. They came at about 3am to tow it away.’
One of the man’s brothers is believed to live in Devon, while a second brother and his mother, who is thought to have worked as a teaching assistant, are said to live locally.
Ms Widdecombe had stopped responding to text messages regarding a TV interview around the time police believe she had been attacked.
She had been due to appear remotely as a guest on Channel 5’s Matt Allwright show when she suddenly stopped responding to a producer at 12.19pm, according to ITV News.
The messages show she did not open a reply timestamped 12.48pm asking her to join the Zoom meeting which she failed to attend.
Reform UK is said to be reviewing emails sent to Ms Widdecombe in the weeks before her murder in search for any threats against her life.
The party has also said it is committed to providing round-the-clock security to its MPs in the wake of her death.
