Former Strictly Come Dancing star Annabel Croft has shared her heartbreak over her husband’s final words, which she said still haunt her today.
Annabel’s husband of 30 years Mel Coleman died in May 2023, just weeks after being diagnosed with colon cancer that had “spread everywhere”, leaving the former tennis star devastated.
In a column for The Sun‘s Fabulous magazine, Annabel shared Mel’s devastating final words, revealing that the memory of his last day still haunts her.
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Annabel Croft husband
She said: “I have traumatic flashbacks of the day Mel died. During his final hours, as he drifted in and out of consciousness, he started listing instructions like: ‘change the tyre on the van,’ and then saying to the children: ‘Sorry I can’t be there for your weddings.’ That memory breaks my heart.”
Mel’s diagnosis came as a complete shock to the family, after visiting the doctors with a pain in his side. Annabel admits they tried everything they could to prolong Mel’s life, including daily visits to an oxygen chamber and a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that shrunk the cancerous tumours in his liver from 97% to 70%. However, just 16 weeks after receiving the earth-shattering news, Mel died.
Annabel and Mel’s love story started when she was just 21 and Annabel describes their time together as a “lifetime”.
His loss has left a huge whole in her world, and she has described his absence as “unbearable”.
She said: “After Mel died, it didn’t feel real, but as though he was away on a trip and would reappear. Weirdly, the pain of grief feels like it’s growing, rather than easing because of the realisation that he’s not coming back.”
Annabel on Strictly
The couple’s three adult children, Amber, Charlie and Lily have been a huge support for Annabel as she navigates life without Mel.
The family encouraged Annabel to stay busy after his death, which led to her appearing on Strictly Come Dancing. Annabel danced with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, who became her close friend during the show.
The couple were voted off in the in the semi-final after a tense dance-off with Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell.
Annabel has called her time on Strictly her “saviour” and a “distraction” from the grief of losing Mel.
Read more: Annabel Croft marks one year since losing her husband
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