The Untold Chapter of Ann Widdecombe's Life: How a Quiet Oxford Romance Became One of Her Most Personal Stories

For much of her public life, Ann Widdecombe was known for her uncompromising political opinions, unmistakable television appearances, and fearless debating style. Whether she was speaking in Parliament, appearing on political broadcasts, or entertaining audiences on television, she projected an image of confidence and independence that became synonymous with her name.

Yet long before she became one of Britain's most recognizable political figures, there was another chapter that remained largely outside public view.

During her years as a university student, Widdecombe experienced a relationship that many close to her later described as one of the happiest periods of her life. It was a relationship built not around celebrity or public attention, but around shared ambitions, intellectual curiosity, and countless ordinary moments that would stay with her for decades.

Although she rarely discussed her private life in great detail, those who knew her from those years remembered a version of Ann that differed from the formidable public figure the nation would later come to know.

This quieter story began in Oxford during the early 1970s.

Colin Maltby pictured with Ann Widdecombe in 1973, while the pair were students at Oxford University

An Ambitious Student Finding Her Place

Unlike many students who arrived directly from school, Ann's path to Oxford was less straightforward.

After studying at Birmingham University, she eventually secured a place to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lady Margaret Hall. Friends recalled her as someone with clear political ambitions even then, never afraid to express strong opinions during student debates.

Oxford was a place where future politicians, journalists and academics constantly challenged one another, and Widdecombe quickly immersed herself in university life.

Debating societies became central to her routine, particularly the Oxford Union, where ideas mattered as much as personalities.

It was there that she crossed paths with another ambitious student.

A Meeting That Changed Everything

Colin Maltby was known among fellow students for his academic ability and analytical mind.

While their personalities were different, they discovered common ground through politics, university debates and long conversations that stretched well beyond formal meetings.

Their friendship developed gradually.

Rather than dramatic declarations or whirlwind romance, those around them remembered two students who genuinely enjoyed each other's company and challenged one another intellectually.

Shared interests slowly evolved into something deeper.

The couple pictured punting on the river in 1971. Widdecombe and Maltby were together for three years

More Than Politics

As months passed, university friends began noticing they were spending increasing amounts of time together.

Coffee after debates became evening walks.

Committee meetings became opportunities to continue conversations long after everyone else had gone home.

Their relationship reflected the rhythm of university life.

They explored Oxford's historic streets, spent afternoons along the River Cherwell, attended formal college events and enjoyed the traditions that make student life in the city unique.

Friends later recalled seeing them laughing together far more often than discussing politics.

Behind the determined future politician was a young woman simply enjoying life with someone she deeply trusted.

A Different Side of Ann

People who encountered the couple during those years often remarked that Widdecombe appeared unusually relaxed.

Away from Westminster and television cameras—which were still many years in the future—she displayed a warmth that close friends rarely saw later in public life.

The relationship also revealed another characteristic that would remain throughout her career: loyalty.

Those who knew both students remembered mutual respect as the foundation of their partnership.

There was no public drama.

No attempt to attract attention.

Instead, it was an ordinary university romance unfolding among extraordinary surroundings.

Ms Widdecombe, pictured at her home in Haytor, Devon, would go on to become a political firebrand and Conservative minister

Oxford Memories That Never Faded

The pair embraced many of the traditions associated with student life.

Formal dinners.

Summer celebrations.

Long afternoons by the river.

Academic milestones.

Friends later described them as one of the familiar couples around the university community, with many expecting the relationship to continue well beyond graduation.

Neither could know that life would eventually take them in different directions.

Yet the memories created during those formative years would remain significant long after Oxford became a distant memory.

Different Roads Begin to Emerge

University life often creates friendships and relationships that feel as though they will last forever. For Ann Widdecombe and Colin Maltby, the years they spent together were filled with shared routines, intellectual debates and hopes for the future. Yet, as graduation approached, the realities of adult life slowly began to reshape those expectations.

While they remained close, each was preparing to enter a different stage of life. Career opportunities appeared, responsibilities increased, and the pace that had once allowed long afternoons together gradually gave way to professional ambitions.

The transition was subtle rather than sudden.

Friends from that period would later recall that both remained deeply committed to their respective goals. Politics continued to fascinate Ann, while Colin's academic achievements pointed him toward an entirely different professional future. Their conversations increasingly revolved around careers, public affairs and what lay beyond Oxford's historic colleges.

She always maintained her relationship with Maltby, three years her junior, was chaste

New Careers, New Priorities

Leaving university marked the beginning of significant change.

Like many graduates, both faced decisions that would shape the rest of their lives. Different cities, demanding work and changing schedules naturally reduced the amount of time they could spend together.

Despite the distance, those who knew them remembered that mutual respect never disappeared. Their relationship had been built on shared values rather than public attention, and that foundation remained even as circumstances evolved.

As months passed, however, it became increasingly clear that their futures were no longer following the same path.

Accepting That Life Changes

Relationships do not always end because of conflict. Sometimes they simply reach a point where two people recognize their ambitions are leading in different directions.

Those familiar with this period have often described the end of their relationship as respectful rather than dramatic. There were no public disputes or lasting bitterness. Instead, both appeared determined to move forward while appreciating what they had shared.

For Ann, it was another life lesson during years that were already transforming her from a university student into someone preparing for public service.

Ms Widdecombe, who died last weekend, received a third class degree from Oxford and found temporary work after university with Oxfam

A Foundation for the Years Ahead

Although the romance ended, its influence remained.

The confidence she gained during those formative years, combined with countless hours spent debating ideas and discussing public life, would later become visible throughout her political career.

Friends believed the Oxford years represented more than a personal relationship—they were a period during which Ann developed the resilience, independence and determination that would define her public image.

Those qualities became increasingly evident as she entered national politics, eventually serving in Parliament and becoming one of Britain's best-known political voices.

Looking Forward Instead of Back

Unlike many relationships that disappear completely, this chapter became part of a much broader life story.

The university years remained a reminder of youth, optimism and possibility rather than regret.

As her public profile grew, attention naturally focused on her political career and later television appearances. Yet those who had known her decades earlier still remembered the young student whose greatest concerns were university debates, examinations and deciding what the future might hold.

Maltby said of his former flame that she was 'sensitive' and reacted to others' happiness or suffering genuinely

A Life That Took a Different Path

As the years passed, Ann Widdecombe and Colin Maltby built separate lives, each following careers that few could have predicted during their days wandering through Oxford's historic streets.

For Widdecombe, politics increasingly became more than an ambition—it became a lifelong calling. Her determination and willingness to defend unpopular opinions eventually earned her a place in Parliament, where she became one of Britain's most recognizable political figures. Cabinet responsibilities, high-profile debates and later television appearances transformed her into a household name.

Maltby, meanwhile, pursued a successful career in finance, establishing himself far from Westminster. Friends from their university days recalled that although their professional lives moved in entirely different directions, the respect they had developed during their youth never completely disappeared.

Pictured on the day of her death during a television interview, Ms Widdecombe never married nor had any public romance after Maltby

A Friendship That Outlasted Romance

Unlike many relationships that end in bitterness, those who knew both Widdecombe and Maltby have described their story as one marked by maturity and mutual respect.

Over the years, they occasionally remained in contact, catching up as old friends rather than former partners. Life had taken each of them in different directions, but the memories of their university years remained an important chapter in both of their lives.

For Widdecombe, questions about why she never married often resurfaced throughout her public career. She consistently rejected the suggestion that one relationship had determined the course of her personal life.

Instead, she explained on several occasions that she simply believed marriage was not the path her life ultimately followed.

Those remarks reflected the independence that became one of her defining characteristics. While many public figures carefully guarded their personal lives, Widdecombe spoke openly enough to make clear that she had no regrets about the choices she made.

Remembering More Than a Politician

Following her death, much of the public conversation naturally focused on her decades in politics, her outspoken commentary and her television career.

Yet former classmates and longtime friends remembered another side of Ann—one that existed long before Westminster, television studios and national headlines.

They remembered the ambitious Oxford student who loved spirited debates, valued intellectual conversation and embraced the opportunities university life offered. Those who shared those formative years described someone whose determination was already unmistakable, even before she entered public life.

Maltby said Ms Widdecombe 'discovered for herself' that it was not 'necessary' to marry and said he believed she was 'quite fulfilled with her life as it is'

A Story That Remains Part of Her Legacy

Every public figure leaves behind a professional legacy, but personal stories often reveal the qualities that shaped the person behind the headlines.

Ann Widdecombe's years at Oxford represented a period of optimism, friendship and personal growth that remained significant throughout her life. While history will primarily remember her political career, those early experiences helped form the resilience, confidence and independence that later defined her public image.

Her story serves as a reminder that behind every well-known public figure are quieter chapters rarely seen by the wider world—moments that influence character long before fame arrives.

For many who have reflected on Widdecombe's life since her passing, those university years offer a glimpse of the woman behind the politician: ambitious, thoughtful, deeply committed to her beliefs and shaped, like everyone else, by the relationships and experiences of her youth.