Ann Widdecombe used her final magazine column to reveal that England's World Cup heroics made her smile in her final days, despite her well-known hatred of football. The former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister made the comments in her "Widdy Wisdom" column for best magazine, which was published posthumously in this week's issue following her tragic death last Wednesday.
World Cup Excitement Despite Dislike
In the column, which appears on page 23, Widdecombe wrote: "I hate football and I am bored with Wimbledon so currently my TV is firmly off. The saturation coverage is unbearable and indeed in 2012, when Britain was hosting the Olympics, I went up the Mekong River in Asia to escape it all." However, she added: "Yet there is undeniably something infectious about other people's excitement and I was not one of the po-faced miseries who grumbled about the pubs being open all night when we were playing Mexico. Nay, as soon as I woke up, I checked the score and smiled as I imagined the hullabaloo of rejoicing which doubtless broke out up and down the country as the third goal was scored while I was in the Land of Nod."
Widdecombe, 78, was found dead in her home in Haytor, Devon, last Thursday. She is believed to have lain dead in her kitchen for 24 hours after sustaining serious injuries in the isolated cottage where she lived with her cat. The magazine made no mention of her death in the printed product, as the announcement came too late to alter the content.
Reflections on Sports and Pantomime
In her final column, written just days before she died, Widdecombe also reflected on her lack of sporting talent. She wrote: "The only sports I ever enjoyed participating in were swimming (still do but now very gently) and riding (osteoporosis says no). At school my sprint would have disgraced a tortoise, I could barely lift the discus, let alone throw it and my despairing PE teacher, who was a kindly Christian soul and hated saying anything negative, once wrote on my report 'Ann is polite and helpful and always volunteers to put the equipment away'."
She also shared memories of her time starring in pantomime, saying: "Whenever people ask me what I most enjoyed about doing pantomime I reply that for four or five weeks all I heard was the sound of children laughing. Kids laugh at anything and it is one of the best sounds in the world." Widdecombe added: "When I lived near Fulham football ground I grumbled mightily at the traffic but out in the garden I used to grin as we would hear the build-up to a goal and then either a roar of delight or a huge groan. Football is fine, as long as I don't have to watch!"
Tributes and Investigation
Writing on the best magazine Facebook page on July 10, the publication said: "This morning, best lost our much-loved columnist Ann Widdecombe – the Queen of Common Sense. The former MP, known for her straight talking and having little time for 'whingers', became just as well known in later life for her love of animals. She adored her cat, Aloysius, opposed fox hunting and was a patron of a donkey sanctuary. She also won a whole new generation of fans on Strictly Come Dancing, where she famously – in her own words – 'galumphed' her way to the semi-finals with Anton Du Beke."
The prime suspect in Widdecombe's killing, a 28-year-old White British man, is still being questioned on suspicion of murder. He was arrested on Saturday before being re-arrested on Monday on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Police have been granted a warrant of further detention, allowing them to hold him for up to seven days under the Terrorism Act, with a possible extension to 14 days. Detectives are examining CCTV that appears to show the suspect putting a wooden stick in the back of a red Vauxhall Corsa on the same day. Neighbours described him as a loner who became increasingly reclusive after his father's death last December. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons on Monday that the suspect was not known to the Government anti-extremism scheme Prevent.
