Privy Councillor and former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe has been suspended from the Conservative Party after shocking claims of historical abuse and inappropriate conduct were made last night.
Miss Widdecombe was a contestant in the 2010 series of Strictly Come Dancing, which saw her partnered with professional dancer Anton du Beke. In a heartbreaking interview, Anton told The Rochdale Herald how Miss Widdecombe subjected him to a litany of abuse:
– She would force him to place his hands on her buttocks and thighs and ‘pick her up’
– Dress him up in bizarre costumes for her amusement
– Make him ‘Perform’ whilst she would bring friends and people he had never met to watch them ‘doing it’
– Offered him inducements to stay quiet telling him that she could make him famous
‘But Fame costs and right here is where you pay; in sweat!’
Anton, on the verge of tears, explained that this ordeal went on for over 10 weeks, at the end of which he had lost the will to live.
The Conservative MP became an unlikely success story for the comedy element in her dance routines. However, there was a darker side to it and dance activists have called for the show to be banned to be banned.
Long time Dancer’s rights campaigner Lionel Blair, speaking for the newly formed Dancers United By Anton’s Groping (Douse-BAG), told us “It’s not about sex for people like Ann; it’s about power. And sex obviously”
The Rochdale Herald wishes Anton all the best for the future and hope his mental scarring and lower back strain get better soon.
