Strictly's Annabel Croft can't be at home for first Christmas without husband

Strictly's Annabel Croft reveals why she can't be at home for first Christmas without her husband

What did you miss?

Annabel Croft has said she cannot spend Christmas at home this year, as it will be too difficult following the death of her husband. The Strictly Come Dancing star's husband Mel Coleman died in May at the age of 60 after battling cancer. The pair had been married for 30 years and share three children.

Croft told Ranvir Singh on Lorraine that the thought of spending Christmas in her family without her husband there was "horrific". She revealed she and her children had decided to do something different and go away this year as they continue to grieve their loss.

What, how, and why?

Retired tennis player Croft, 57, made it to the semi-final of Strictly this year, and spoke openly about how her decision to take part in the BBC dance show had been a way of coping with her grief. The sports presenter admitted going to rehearsals with dance partner Johannes Radebe had given her a reason to get out of bed everyday.

Croft opened up to Singh about how she was feeling facing Christmas without her husband now that Strictly has come to an end. She said: "It's a bit weird. Your feet are going to come back down to earth quite quickly, and I haven't had time to even think for a moment. As I said on the show it's given me a purpose to get up out of bet every morning and go and see Johannes and go and dance."

Croft admitted: "It is going to be a bit weird this Christmas, we had a very normal family Christmas last year. I would never believe that one year later my husband wouldn't be around. It's horrific, you don't even know how to put words to describe it. But we're going to try and do something a little bit different this year and just get away.

"Nobody wanted to be at the house really... Mel always carved the turkey, and he did the ham and he was always busy-bodying around on the kitchen and just enjoying normal Christmas."

The tennis pro revealed that the Strictly experience had kept her busy, and distracted her from her loss. "She said: "I haven't had time to write a single Christmas card or go Christmas shopping. So it's a bit weird this year, but maybe that's a good thing."

Croft spoke openly about her grief during her time on Strictly and shared memories of her husband, and how much he had loved the show. She and Radebe used their Couple's Choice dance to express her feelings of loss and it resonated with the audience.

She said: "I've been overwhelmed by it actually. We've had so many people coming up to us constantly, non-stop, and the overriding factor was, "You've made us cry." A lot of emotion, which I had no idea what we did. But I guess loads of people are going through what both of us are going through with grief. So it's nice if we can help people and show them that you can get out of bed, and you can find laughter and joy again."

What else happened on Lorraine?

Croft admitted she and Radebe were both disappointed that he would not be joining her on the Strictly tour. But she explained why the South African dancer was unable to be her partner on the road. She said: "We're both sad. Johannes has his own tour, and it was too close to this tour. And his body needs a rest and his brain. He needs a chance to recharge his batteries. I think he's probably sad that he couldn't make it work."

She added: "But I hear that term 'Keep dancing!' and I now realise what that is, because I do want to keep dancing. And so when I got the opportunity to do the tour I thought, 'Oh wow! How wonderful to keep going.' But of course I would have loved to have been with him."

Croft will be doing the tour with Zara McDermott's partner Graziano Di Prima. She said: "Of course I've met him and been around him the whole show, so it will be different but a lot of fun as well." And she insisted that Radebe will remain a family friend, saying: "Johannes came to our house many times and we hope this is just the beginning of a life-long friendship."

The Strictly Come Dancing 2024 tour will open in Birmingham on 19 January.

Read more: Strictly Come Dancing

• Annabel Croft was the ultimate Strictly star – she moved us all (Telegraph, 6 min read)

• Annabel Croft breaks her silence after narrowly missing out on Strictly final (Evening Standard, 2 min read)

• Annabel Croft says Strictly has brought 'light' amid 'very dark time' after husband's death

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