TalkTV star in furious on-air clash after Pope's death: 'You're distorting it!'

aired a furious clash between host Mike Graham and star Ann Widdecombe after the death of yesterday (April 21). The pope died after experiencing severe respiratory distress and spending several weeks in hospital, though he did manage to give his Easter blessing on Sunday (April 20).

Mike clashed with Ann live on-air when discussing the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church, with Ann seeking to spare the previous from any blame before his 2022 death. Mike fumed: "There were all sorts of allegations of things that happened that he shouldn't have been involved in, or he should have known about. It's a bit like the Archbishop of Canterbury, wasn't it - the Catholic church was being accused of all sorts of nastiness going on when it came to-"

But Ann cut him off to say: "None of which stuck. He didn't leave for that reason. It wasn't anything to do with that - it was to do with the fact that he was old, because he was a great theologian I suspect he was winding up, he was slowing up and he wanted to go."

Mike interjected: "Yeah. Well you can have a difference of opinion with me on that one, I suppose. What happens now?" Ann insisted: "Well mine's historically accurate but anyway, carry on."

Mike wasn't letting it go that easily, however, as he argued: "Yeah, well if you don't think there were any allegations of sexual impropriety in the Catholic church-"

"No!" Ann tried to say, but Mike forged ahead: "I've got some swampland to sell you in Florida, Ann. You know very well there have been allegations - you might say that none of it stuck, but nobody will believe you. There are plenty of victims that have spoken out about it, are you saying you don't believe them?"

Ann replied: "No I haven't said that at all, you're now distorting what I'm saying. Let me finish! Mike, let me finish my sentence, please, that would be fair to let me finish the sentence. I didn't say there was no abuse, I didn't say none of the allegations are true, I said that nothing was directed at Benedict himself. There were bishops, there were arch-bishops, there were priests-"

A furious Mike rowed back: "Yes but he was in charge of the church, Ann." Ann said: "He was in charge of the church a long time after all that blew up!"

Mike admitted: "I wasn't planning to have a row with you about it but I'm not gonna let you get away with pretending it didn't happen." Ann said: "I didn't say it didn't happen. I said it didn't stick to Benedict and that was not why Benedict left and he did not leave the job under a cloud."

"That's your opinion, let's move on!" Mike finally said, attempting to turn the tense segment around.