Strictly Come Dancing star Annabel Croft has spoken about how the show has been a 'welcome distraction' from her grief following the death of her husband, Mel Coleman, earlier this year. The 57-year-old former British tennis champion joined the cast of the BBC dance competition just weeks after Mel, a champion yachtsman, died from an aggressive form of cancer at the age of 60.
Mel was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after complaining of stomach pain for two months and tragically passed away just eight weeks later in May. The couple had been married for 31 years and had three children together: daughters Amber Rose and Lily, and son Charlie.
In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, Annabel revealed that her husband was a huge fan of Strictly and she hopes he has been 'watching' as she performs each weekend. She 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 [Radebe], 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's children encouraged her to take part in the show after producers approached her. Despite some thinking it might be too soon, her kids believed it would be a positive step forward. Annabel shared: '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.'
Annabel announced her husband's death in a statement in early June, saying: '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.' A friend later told the Daily Mail that the diagnosis was 'out of the blue' and that the cancer 'progressed brutally,' leaving everyone 'devastated and horrified.'
