Annabel Croft is seen for the first time since husband's sudden death
Annabel Croft is seen for the first time since husband Mel Coleman’s sudden death from cancer as she attends day two of Wimbledon
Annabel Croft put on a brave face as she was seen for the first time since the sudden death of her husband.
The former tennis star, 56, was left devastated in May when her Mel Coleman passed away just a few weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Broadcaster Annabal married former professional yachtsman Mel in 1992 and the pair – who enjoyed a healthy and active lifestyle – were left blindsided when Mel was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer after complaining of stomach pain.
He died eight weeks later at the age of 60.
Returning to a place that would bring her so much comfort and joy in her career, Annabel attended day two of Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Stepping out: Annabel Croft put on a brave face as she was seen for the first time since the sudden death of her husband while attending day two of Wimbledon on Tuesday
The former British number one smiled at onlookers as she made her way into the grounds in a pink denim jumpsuit and green hoodie.
She has long been a fixture in the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage and also covers tennis tournaments around the world. The family lives in Coombe, Surrey, near to Wimbledon.
She announced her husband’s death on May 26, saying in a statement: ‘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 said: ‘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… and he passed earlier this week. Everyone is devastated and horrified, and Annabel is absolutely shattered.
‘The two of them have been together forever and were a wonderful couple.’
They have three grown-up children Charlie, Amber and Lilly.
The pair met just before Annabel quit the tennis tour and he was her first serious boyfriend.
Mel, a successful investment banker who took part in the America’s Cup and more recently ran a tennis school with his wife, was noted for his apparently perfect health and, like Annabel, enjoyed an active outdoors lifestyle.
After Covid lockdowns, the two of them converted an old delivery van into a mobile home and took it around the country and into Europe on walking holidays.
Shocking news: The former tennis star, 56, was left devastated in May when her Mel Coleman passed away just a few weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer (pictured in 2021)
Brave face: The former British number one smiled at onlookers as she made her way into the grounds in a pink denim jumpsuit and green hoodie
Earlier this year Annabel a former British number one, recalled that her path crossed with Mel’s quite by chance when she was at a crisis point.
Aged 21, she was at the US Open having a pep talk from fellow player John Newcombe, who suggested that she should think about what she wanted to do with her life as she seemed unhappy. She had been on the tennis tour for nearly six years and was lonely, stressed and lost by the demands of incessantly competing.
‘As we were having this chat, I got a text from my mother saying the BBC production office in Belfast were asking whether I’d be interested in filming a programme about yacht racing.
‘I’d never been on a yacht before, but it ended up with me, Eamonn Holmes and Peter Skellern going off to Guernsey to shoot a programme where we learnt how to race a yacht.
‘Mel, who had just got back from Australia after the America’s Cup, was one of the yachtsmen and that is how we met.
‘After a day’s filming we’d all go to the pub, have dinner – it sounds weird, but I’d never really done that – and I remember thinking, gosh this is really fun and normal, and I want a bit more of this rather than getting up and putting on a tracksuit and stressing about whether my backhand is working today.’
They married six years later.
In a recent interview with the Daily Mail she spoke about her excitement at the prospect of going travelling with her husband in their van post-lockdown.
She said: ‘I think we will be OK, given how long we have been together. It’s about the freedom and the sense of adventure.’
Tennis ace: Former British number one Annabel returned to a place that brought her so much comfort and joy in her career (Pictured at Wimbledon in 1987)
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