Josh Widdicombe has a surprising ‘link’ to the late Princess Diana and her brother Charles Spencer through his family tree.
The Strictly Come Dancing presenter has found himself at the centre of plenty of chatter since joining the BBC show’s presenting line up.
On Saturday night, Josh put his nerves aside as he co hosted his first Strictly Come Dancing live show for the BBC.
Josh is one of three new presenters joining the programme following the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
He is now fronting the huge juggernaut show alongside Emma Willis and former Strictly professional Johannes Radebe.
But while viewers have been discussing Josh’s performance on camera, many have also been wondering about his family tree.
Is Josh Widdicombe related to Princess Diana and Charles, 9th Earl Spencer?
It previously emerged that there is an apparent ancestral link between Josh and the late Princess Diana and her brother, Charles, 9th Earl Spencer.
In 2021, Josh appeared on BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are?. The programme explores a celebrity’s genealogy and traces their family tree.
During Josh’s episode, it was revealed that the Widdicombes are connected by marriage to the banking family, the Baring-Goulds. Josh even visited the manor house that was once their family home.
Genealogy experts then examined his family tree in greater detail after the episode aired. It has since been claimed that Josh’s Baring ancestry can be traced back to Francis Baring, an ancestor of Diana and Charles Spencer.
One genealogist claims Josh would be Diana and Spencer’s sixth cousin once removed.
Princess Diana tragically died in 1997 following a car accident in Paris. Her brother, meanwhile, has been in the headlines this past week.
The attention on Charles follows the controversial release of his book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
Josh has never confirmed the link himself, and neither has Charles. However, his family tree certainly includes some highbrow connections.
Is Josh Widdicombe related to Ann Widdecombe?
Other fans have been frantically searching to see if Josh is also related to the late Ann Widdecombe.
The answer may be hiding in the spelling of their surnames, however. Josh and the late Ann Widdecombe’s names are actually spelled differently.
Former MP Ann Widdecombe has an ‘e’ in the middle of her surname, while Josh has an ‘i’.
Ann tragically died in July this year. She was murdered in her own home aged 78. Joshua Kerry has been charged with Ann’s murder and is currently awaiting trial. He denies murdering her.
Josh has been asked about Ann and whether they are related several times over the years.
In 2016, he was asked during a web chat with the Guardian: “Are you related to Ann Widdecombe?” Josh replied: “You’ve spelled it differently to my name in the question.”
Ann had her own Strictly connection, appearing in the 2010 series with her professional partner Anton Du Beke.
In May this year, Anton and fellow Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood appeared on Greatest Hits Radio. The interview came five months after Josh competed in the Strictly Christmas special dressed as a penguin.
With Josh already announced as a new presenter, DJ Kate Thornton said: “He can’t dance – we saw that on the Christmas special.”
Anton replied: “No, he did very well as a penguin.” Craig then mused: “Just like his mother, Ann.” Anton added: “Just like Auntie Ann. She was tremendous.”
Kate joked: ‘You have got so much to tell Josh about his mum when he starts the show!”
Greatest Hits Radio later shared a clip of the interview on Facebook. Its caption clarified: “Ann isn’t ACTUALLY Josh Widdicombe’s aunt.”
- Strictly Come Dancing continues at 6.15pm on BBC One on October 3, 2026.
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