04 November 2023 , 18:30
1282
0
Strictly Come Dancing star and British tennis champion Annabel Croft previously said that performing on Strictly Come Dancing has been a ‘welcome distraction’ from her grief after her beloved husband died earlier this year.
Annabel, 57, joined the cast weeks after her husband Mel Coleman passed away after battling an aggressive form of cancer. Mel - who was 60-years-old when he died in May this year - was himself a champion international America's Cup and Admiral's Cup yachtsman.
He married Annabel in 1993 and together they welcomed two daughters named Amber Rose and Lily and a son, Charlie. Mel was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after complaining of stomach pain for two months and tragically died just eight weeks after his health condition was discovered.
Annabel has been left devastated by his passing, but hopes he has been ‘watching’ as she takes to the dancefloor every weekend of Strictly 2023. In an exclusive chat with The Mirror, Annabel recently revealed that her husband was a huge fans of Strictly and she hoped she could do him proud while competing on the show.
Annabel is performing alongside professional dancer Johannes Radebe this year (Getty Images)
Annabel's husband passed away earlier this year (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Despite putting on a brave face every weekend for BBC viewers, the Strictly Come Dancing star is still very much grieving her beloved husband who only passed away five months ago.
Strictly's Molly Rainford and Tyler West fuel romance rumours while on tour
Speaking of her Strictly journey so far, the much-loved contestant said: "It's been absolutely amazing so far. It's very full on and it's very challenging but I'm really loving it. I pinch myself. I've got the best partner with Johannes, I have really struck gold. This has been a nice distraction from grief - it's just been nice to do something joyful. It's nice to rest my brain."
Annabel, who was married to her late husband for 31 years, and shares daughters Amber and Lily Rose, and son Charlie with late Mel, says that her kids were the ones to encourage her to do Strictly after being approached by producers. Although some may have thought it too soon for her to take on such a challenge, her three kids knew that the time was right and it would be a good strep in the right direction for her after the sad loss of her husband.
"My children are really keen about me doing Strictly, they’re all really excited about it. My two daughters are amazing dancers so they’re especially excited," she previously told The Mirror.
Annabel and Mel were married for 31 years (Getty Images)
Mel sadly passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer (EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS)Annabel shared the sad news of her husband's death at the beginning of the summer. She said in a statement that was released in early June: "My beloved husband Mel passed away peacefully on Wednesday morning after a short battle with cancer. My family and I are completely heartbroken and ask for privacy at this very sad time."
Following her statement, a friend told the Daily Mail at the time: "This has come as an extreme shock to everyone – the diagnosis was out of the blue and Mel did not seem unwell at the time. Sadly the cancer progressed brutally.... Everyone is devastated and horrified, and Annabel is absolutely shattered."
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday night at 6:35pm on BBC One.