Newton Abbot Station in the news ...

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Sun:

Ann Widdecombe loves being on Strictly so much that she practises her moves in front of astonished train travellers.
Ann, 63, tried street dancing with pro partner Anton Du Beke yesterday in her home town Newton Abbot, Devon.
And she admits she slips in a few moves when she is in London for filming.
Ann told Radio 4: "I do strike dance poses in Victoria station."
She said she is mobbed while she waits to catch her train - and doesn't mind doing her moves for camera-wielding fans.
The former MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context), who flew down on a wire to do the tango last Saturday, will this week do a Paso Doble with Anton.
The Spanish dance is modelled on bullfighting, with the man playing the matador and the woman his cape.
But Ann said: "I think Anton thinks I'm more like the bull."

[bigdaz]

I assume she changes at EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) and CLJ using SWT^▸ (South West Trains) to end up at Victoria Main line station!

[SDS]

Did they mean Victorian stations?

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Ann Widdecombe 'will not quit Strictly Come Dancing'

Former Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) Ann Widdecombe says she will not voluntarily bow out of TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) show Strictly Come Dancing.

In the latest round, Ms Widdecombe, 63, from Devon, was spared elimination thanks to public support after she had received the lowest marks of the night.

The former minister has consistently been bailed out by the public vote despite harsh verdicts from the panel.

But Ms Widdecombe said she would not follow the example of John Sergeant, who voluntarily left the show in 2008.

Political correspondent Mr Sergeant said at the time that there was a "real risk" of winning the show which he said would be a "joke too far".

But Ms Widdecombe said leaving "would be a slap in the face for the public".

She told BBC Radio Devon: "The public are deciding who goes through and who does not go through. If the public say we want to see you again next week and you say 'I've got better things to do', that seems incredibly rude."

In her latest routine, the former Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald was dragged around the floor while sitting on her bottom by partner Anton Du Beke.

Ms Widdecombe, who trains with Du Beke in Newton Abbot, defended her style, saying: "If this were merely a dancing competition it wouldn't be Saturday night entertainment. It would be BBC Sport and it would be run on completely different lines. This is entertainment. If people don't like what the public are deciding, bad luck. Try being a politician."