Ann Widdecombe has turned down the post of UK ambassador to the Vatican because of a detached retina, she told the Times this weekend.
As I blogged a little over a week ago, doubt had been cast on her chances of succeeding Francis Campbell in the post after she signed up to appear in the autumn series of the BBC’s reality show Strictly Come Dancing.
Now, she has told the Times that she was unable to take the post because of an operation to repair a detached retina. However, it seems clear that she was made a definite offer, and that she regrets being obliged to turn it down. She said:
The good reason is that I have just had an operation for a detached retina. I am very sorry about Rome. I would have gone otherwise.
However, in the same interview, the Times reports that she dismissed the Strictly claims as “rumour and speculation”, which seems to run counter to the Daily Mail, which reported several weeks ago that she had been confirmed to appear on the show.
Another likely candidate for the Vatican post, Chris Patten, has not yet been offered the job, but Times sources suggest he is unlikely to accept because of his duties as chancellor of Oxford University.
Other reputed candidates are Paul Murphy, the former Northern Ireland secretary, and Ruth Kelly, rumoured to be a member of Opus Dei. Given Widdecombe’s popularity on both sides, it will take something special to equal the momentum she had. But the BBC’s William Crawley believes he’s found it — how about Tony Blair?
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