Annabel Croft's Emotional Tribute to Late Husband
Former tennis champion Annabel Croft has shared a heartbreaking admission about how she kept her husband close after his death from colon cancer in May 2023. Mel Coleman, a former round-the-world yachtsman, died at age 60, just 16 weeks after his diagnosis.
Speaking on the Style DNA podcast with Amanda Wakeley, Croft revealed that she sleeps with her husband's scarf next to her pillow. "So I have his scarf that he was wearing for all the treatments and everything, and it sort of smells of him. So I go to bed and wear, not wear his clothes, I sleep with his scarf by my pillow," she said. "And he just wore it, that scarf, I didn't really like it if I'm honest. It's an awful scarf, but he absolutely loved it."
The Cancer Diagnosis and Final Days
Croft previously told Gaby Roslin on The Mid Point podcast that Mel initially experienced "funny pains" in his side that "weren't going away" and were "getting worse." After brushing off the symptoms as indigestion, scans confirmed colon cancer, which later spread to his liver, kidneys, and possibly his brain. He died of sepsis following a perforation of one of his tumours after a flight to Portugal.
According to the NHS, colorectal cancer is the world's second-leading cause of cancer deaths, with risk increasing with age. Symptoms may include changes in bowel habits, blood in stool, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain, cramps, and unexplained weight loss.
A Cruel Encounter with a Nurse
In a 2023 interview with MailOnline, Croft described being "haunted" by a nurse who mocked her family during Mel's final hours. While most nurses were "angels," one woman had a "mocking" attitude as Croft and her children Amber, Charlie, and Lily gathered to say goodbye. "I've asked myself, since, if she was a psychopath," Croft said. "It felt like it because she seemed to take pleasure in telling Mel he was dying."
When Croft asked to speak privately, the nurse refused, saying, "No, he is the patient. He has to hear that he is dying." When Charlie asked if Mel had months or weeks, the nurse responded, "Huh! Almost laughing, mocking our son. 'No - hours.'" The nurse also stated that Mel would not be resuscitated, despite his clear wishes against a do-not-resuscitate order. Croft said, "This nurse said: 'Listen to me. He's got cancer. We are not resuscitating him.' Like she was enjoying it. I'm haunted by that. So many nights it has kept me awake, remembering the tone of her voice. It was cruel."
Cherished Memories and Coping with Grief
Croft also reflected on her marriage, recalling how Mel complimented her clothes and made her feel "like the most important woman in the world." She shared that she recently wore a dress she bought days before he died. "I bought it, brought it back to the house and put it on to show him. And I had visualised that I'd wear that dress with him. He really loved it. And, of course, I didn't wear it until just recently," she said. "But I'm not going to not wear it."
She added that she regrets not paying him enough compliments, saying, "I always said he was getting more handsome and ageing way better than me. And he was getting more handsome every day."
