Annabel Croft, the former tennis player turned BBC pundit, has opened up about the traumatic final moments of her husband Mel's life, revealing she is haunted by a nurse's mocking attitude. Croft, 59, is a familiar face at Wimbledon this summer, providing commentary and conducting post-match interviews for the BBC.
Husband's Death and Nurse's Cruelty
Croft was married to Mel for nearly 30 years before he died of stomach cancer in May 2023, just 16 weeks after diagnosis. In an interview with MailOnline, Croft described how one nurse seemed to take pleasure in telling Mel he was dying, despite Croft's pleas to speak privately first. The nurse allegedly said, 'No, he is the patient. He has to hear that he is dying.' When Croft's son Charlie asked if Mel had months or weeks, the nurse reportedly laughed and said, 'No - hours.' Croft said, 'Mel heard that, all of it. It was just awful.' The nurse also informed the family that Mel would not be resuscitated if he had a heart attack, contradicting Mel's wishes. Croft added, '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.'
Grief and Future Relationships
Since Mel's death, Croft has spoken about her grief, which she says seems to be growing. In an interview with The Times, she revealed she has received offers for dinner dates but is not ready to date again. 'I've had people asking for dinner dates. I'm, like, "You have no idea!" I'm not anywhere close to that. It gives me the heebies to think about it. It's never say never, but I wouldn't mind if it was never.' She added that Mel would have wanted her to be happy, and she tries to live in the moment. 'I try to live in the moment, to stay as present as you possibly can. It's the only way to be — like a sportsman.'
