Sky’s Adam Boulton admits he was ‘wrong and insensitive’ as he apologises for calling Ann Widdecombe a ‘spinster’ and ‘an old maid’ on TV after she was murdered

Broadcaster Adam Boulton admitted it was “wrong and insensitive” as he apologized for labeling Ann Widdecombe a “spinster” and “old maid” on television following news of her murder.

Political commentator and former Sky News presenter Boulton, 67, apologized on X on Saturday after making ‘disgraceful’ and ‘vile’ comments live on air about former Tory minister Ms Widdecombe, who was found murdered on Thursday.

Widdecombe, 78, a former MP and MP, is believed to have been attacked at his remote bungalow in Haytor, Dartmoor, at around 12.30pm on Wednesday, but his bloody body was not found by a gardener until 11.40pm the next day.

Speaking to Sky in light of news of the murder investigation into her death, Boulton described Ms Widdecombe as ‘a complete spinster’.

“You’d probably describe her as an old maid at the ‘end’ of her life,” he said, before moving on to speculate about her personal life, adding: “She reportedly claimed to be a virgin.”

He also said Ms Widdecombe had an ‘honest but doomed relationship’ with a banker and that she was ‘not interested in pursuing personal relationships’ thereafter.

Boulton, who shows regularly on Times Radio, faced online backlash over his remarks; X users described him as ‘vile’ and ‘truly despicable’.

Robert Jenrick, Reform UK’s Shadow Chancellor and former Conservative Immigration Secretary, wrote in

Ann Widdecombe is believed to have been attacked at her remote bungalow on Wednesday, but her bloody body was not found until Thursday.

Boulton apologized for his remarks on Saturday in an X post titled ‘APOLOGY’

Following the backlash, Boulton apologized for his remarks on Saturday in an X post titled “APOLOGY.”

In one of ‘several’ statements he made to the media following Ms Widdecombe’s death, he said he was ‘seriously wrong and insensitive’.

His apology read: ‘I misunderstood the timing and tone of my first word portrait of him.

‘My mistaken view was that, in the context of the constant news flow, I was asked to contribute as an obituary writer who knew him and had interacted with him since the 1980s. This approach was premature.

‘At no point did I express my personal feelings about him, that’s not what I do. I was discussing his life in this round, based on records of known facts and what he said about himself, as well as some memories of our personal interactions.

‘The words I chose at that moment were clumsy. Frankly, I didn’t mean to offend.’

Boulton said he “of course shares the horror” at Ms Widdecombe’s murder, adding that he “respects” her “extraordinary and feisty political career”.

‘I also know that a lot of people loved him because of his later stardom in showbiz,’ he said. ‘His untimely death is a terrible thing.’

Mrs Widdecombe is pictured covered in blood and with serious injuries at her Dartmoor home, known as ‘Widdecombe’s Rest’

Boulton also acknowledged the backlash he received from both Sky News and Times Radio following his comment. As a freelance contributor, he said he was ‘responsible’ for what he said, not the people he worked with.

He said: ‘I make this apology freely because I now realize that I was sorely mistaken about this. This is my responsibility. I also apologize to @SkyNews and @TimesRadio for the unwarranted criticism they received due to my fault.’

Former Brexit Party MP Ms Widdecombe is believed to have been attacked at her Haytor bungalow at around 12.30pm on Wednesday.

However, his body was not found until 11.40pm on Thursday, when a gardener found him covered in blood and seriously injured in the kitchen of his home.

A 26-year-old white British man was arrested on Friday but was later released on Saturday morning and is no longer part of the investigation.

Police said on Saturday they were still searching for Ms Widdecombe’s suspected killer.

Detectives confirmed the case was “moving at a significant pace” and that they were “prioritizing identifying those responsible” for the politician’s death.

It comes as new details emerged about Ms Widdecombe’s final hours on Saturday morning; It turned out that alarm bells were ringing when he did not appear on the Matt Allwright program on Channel 5 at 13:00 on Wednesday.

Police remained at the scene of the murder on Saturday and Ms Widdecombe’s home remained cordoned off.

Police outside Miss Widdecombe’s home in Devon. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that a 26-year-old man was released from custody on Saturday following his arrest on Friday.

Ms Widdecombe’s absence from Channel 5’s Matt Allwright program on Wednesday set off alarm bells

He appeared on Talk TV at around 08:00 the same morning.

An investigator for the Channel 5 program confirmed they spoke to Ms Widdecombe on the phone in the afternoon to arrange the interview.

Following the meeting, the investigator exchanged messages with Ms Widdecombe. The last message he sent was received at 12.19.

The investigator messaged Ms Widdecombe once again at 12.48pm, asking her to join the Zoom link for a remote interview, but she did not respond.

Voice calls and messages later asking if he was okay went unanswered. The programme’s investigative team subsequently raised concerns about the unusual lack of response from Ms Widdecombe, who regularly appeared on the programme.

On Wednesday the investigator contacted Ms Widdecombe’s representative before following up again on Thursday, when her body was found.

Deputy Chief Constable Matt Longman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, gave an update on their investigation and said the police’s ‘priority’ was to establish who was responsible for Ms Widdecombe’s death.

He said: ‘Detectives continue to carry out a number of inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we are committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

‘We are using all necessary resources to find out exactly what happened.

‘I would appeal to anyone with information about this incident, no matter how trivial it may seem, to come forward and speak to us.

‘We will release more information when available. In the meantime, I ask people not to speculate about what might happen, especially on social media.

‘Not only is this potentially damaging to our investigation, it is also extremely distressing for Ms Widdecombe’s family and friends. The family asked for their privacy to be respected while they came to terms with what happened.

‘We have set up a public portal for any major event for information, images or footage to be sent to us. This can be found on our website.

‘Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.’