How is she doing this? Millions of us asked that question as Annabel Croft stepped out on to Centre Court in front of a vast live and television audience at Wimbledon last year to interview the winners, just weeks after losing her beloved husband Mel to cancer.
‘I don’t actually know how I did it. I cried a lot, I cried every day,’ she says. ‘There were many times, even backstage, I’d be crying. Then it was extraordinary, how once I had to go out and do the job, I would just lock in to what I knew.’
Annabel, 57, is looking back a year on as she prepares to co-host the tournament again for the BBC. ‘In many ways, the work was a respite from the terrible grief. It was a brain rest from crying. People were so kind and so thoughtful and forgiving, they kept saying, “You’re doing such an amazing job and you’re so brave.” But it was a saviour to me, to work.’
Still reeling, she could have pulled out on compassionate grounds. Some well-meaning friends and colleagues even advised her to do so. ‘A lot of people said, “Don’t do anything.” I don’t think I could have survived, actually.’ Was the distraction a way of coping? ‘I think so. It was helpful to have something to do and be surrounded by my tennis family, so many wonderful people who knew Mel. We were a double act. We grew together.’
The pair met in the 80s when Mel Coleman had just taken part in the Americas Cup and Annabel was on the verge of quitting professional tennis, at the young age of 21. ‘He was so laid back and had a great sense of humour. He made everything great.’
Annabel Croft, 57, will once again co-host the Wimbledon tournament for the BBC
Mel became her ally as she walked away from the tour and looked for other work. ‘He was with me when I was having freak-outs about speaking in front of people. Mel helped me find the confidence I lacked and enabled me to flourish.’
It’s hard to imagine Annabel being so shy as she sits here looking elegant and composed in a long blue and white cotton summer dress and trainers, although occasionally her eyes mist over as she talks about Mel.
We’ll explore how she went from being in the top 25 of world players to a polished television performer, thanks to all that support from her husband and another, unlikely source of therapy: ‘Weirdly, it was by doing pantomime…’
Annabel will also reflect on the huge outpouring of public support last year as she moved straight from Wimbledon to Strictly, dancing with a professional partner who, we’ve just discovered, was also struggling.
Johannes Radebe has only recently revealed he had to return to South Africa a few weeks before training to bury a cousin, who had taken his own life. He thought about asking not to have a partner and was alarmed to be teamed up with Annabel, given her circumstances.
‘I think at first he was a bit panicked about having to cope with my grief when he was coping with a lot of grief himself,’ she says. ‘It was very emotional behind the scenes for both of us, there were so many tears at so many different points.’
More on Strictly in a moment, but for now her mind is mostly on Wimbledon. The high point of her commentating career so far was also the most challenging: the thrilling five-set final last year between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, after which Annabel questioned both men in front of a packed house including royalty, with hundreds of millions watching on television.
‘My biggest audience ever. The most painful aspect was that Mel wasn’t around to witness it, because he had been so excited about me having that job.’
Her husband had been thrilled when Annabel found out she’d be taking over the key role from her friend Sue Barker. So were their three children Amber, Charlie and Lily, all in their twenties. But then Mel, a champion yachtsman and banker who set up tennis academies with his wife, was told he had colon cancer. He died just eight weeks after the diagnosis, at the age of 60.
That was 24 May. Annabel began work at Wimbledon on 3 July, with the finals a fortnight later. ‘I remember standing courtside ready to go on, thinking, “Oh God, I can’t believe he’s not here,” but wanting to do it for him. To know how much he wanted me to do that job gave me strength.’
In 2023, Annabel took over the presenter role from her friend and former doubles partner Sue Barker, who retired
Having been through so much last time, will it be a challenge to return to Wimbledon this year? ‘I don’t know. I think it will just be about the work again and taking each day as it comes.’ Britain’s brightest hope is Emma Raducanu, but some question whether she’s taken on too much outside the game after her US Open win in 2021 with deals with Nike, Wilson, Tiffany, Dior and British Airways.
Does Annabel agree? ‘She’s such a marketing dream, she probably never has to pick up a racket again. But I still love watching her play. She’s such a beautiful, effortless player. I guess it’s for her to figure out what she wants to achieve in the sport and whether she wants to win, but I’ve never doubted her talent.’
Annabel has a relentless schedule on the circuit this summer, so would she rather keep going than stop and think? ‘Definitely. I’ve hardly had a day off since Mel died and when I do stop, it’s hard. Being busy is very helpful. I think it’d be harder not to be busy.’
Annabel was confirmed as a contestant on Strictly almost immediately after Wimbledon. ‘I knew it would help me, because when it started to get gloomy and dark in the autumn afternoons it’d be hard to come back to an empty house that Mel used to be in. So the idea I’d get out of bed every day and learn a new skill was a comfort to me.’
If I had a job involving speaking I’d hyperventilate. It was a phobia
Her husband was a big fan of Strictly. ‘I remember Mel calling out, “Stop what you’re doing, come and watch Johannes. He’s incredible.” When they paired me with him I just couldn’t believe it: of all the dancers, to be with the one I knew Mel loved. Every time he walks into a room he brings such an energy. We just clicked and I can’t explain it. We have this unbelievable bond.’
Strictly contestants often say such things during the series, but this partnership seems a lasting one. ‘We danced in his solo show at the Palladium on 4 May and it was one of the most incredible experiences. We got a standing ovation before we started, then again when we finished. It was overwhelming.’
The relationship is obviously platonic, as Johannes is gay, but clearly close. She gave Johannes a book of backstage Strictly photos collated by her daughter and wrote, ‘I hope we dance together forever.’ Annabel smiles. ‘He says the same to me.’
They talked and talked during the series, sharing each other’s sorrows. ‘Sometimes we’d dance all day then he’d ring me at night and we’d speak for a long time. I think our record was two hours 40 minutes. We still have those conversations now. I think he’s a very special human being.’
While Johannes kept his sadness private, Annabel spoke openly and dedicated dances to her late husband. ‘The public reaction’s been overwhelming. People still come up to me in the shops or the park to tell me about their own grief or how much Strictly meant to them.’
She sounds very calm. ‘I want to keep my feet on the ground; you can’t let anything overtake you or you lose track of reality,’ she says. ‘I think nothing compares to losing a partner of 36 years. I won’t get stressed about anything now, because whatever happens won’t be as bad as that or bring him back.’
Annabel pictured with her late husband Mel, a champion yachtsman and banker. Together, the couple set up tennis academies
She even remained positive after a ‘terrifying’ ordeal last week when a mugger on an e-bike stole her phone outside London’s King’s Cross station. ‘He rode straight at me and took it clean out of my hands, but luckily he dropped it so I got it back,’ she posted on Instagram. ‘On a positive note a lovely gentleman came to help me.’
Annabel was committed to tennis from the age of nine, and won junior versions of Wimbledon and the Australian Open. But she struggled on tour. ‘The lifestyle was tough. It still is. Your happiness is dependent on whether you win or lose. I didn’t want to live in combat every day. I started to question everything. I wanted a normal life.’
Annabel describes the alarming reality of travelling around America alone at 15 or 16, having organised her own logistics in the days before the internet and mobile phones. ‘I remember waiting at a Greyhound bus station at three o’clock in the morning with a load of druggies and drunks thinking, “Gosh, I don’t think my parents would think much of this, I’m not going to tell them.”’
Her mother and father, Susan and James Croft, a club-level tennis player and chartered surveyor in Surrey, would doubtless have been horrified. Why was nobody with her? ‘I had my coach sometimes but not every week, otherwise you’re paying for two rooms and double the expenses.’
Life was on a shoestring. ‘You’d turn up to some little cup somewhere in America and have three rounds of pre-qualifying, then three of qualifying. If you made the main draw they’d pay for the hotel. If not, you were paying for all of it.’
This gruelling experience has given her sympathy for young players today. ‘People have no idea of the layers of fighting required to make it to a tournament like Wimbledon.’ Is life any better for them now? ‘I don’t think the stress of being on court has ever changed. You’re going out to fight in front of people with rackets instead of weapons. It’s a weird existence. But the teams around them are enormous compared to my day. That makes some things easier.’
Annabel struggled to adjust after quitting. ‘If I ever had a job involving speaking I used to have a panic attack. I’d hyperventilate. It was a phobia, but I overcame it.’
Annabel appeared in Strictly Come Dancing in 2023. She was partnered with professional dancer Johannes Radebe and the pair remain close friends
Was it really pantomime that healed her? ‘Yes, I did five years of it when I first came off tour. It was scary but I slowly became less fearful.’ Who did she play? ‘You’ll laugh. Dick Whittington with Roland Rat in Crawley, Prince Charming with Michael Barrymore in Bristol, then Cinderella with Lionel Blair and Una Stubbs. I loved it – the playful language, learning by watching people perform – and we laughed so much.’
Her attempts to get into television were rebuffed at first. ‘I remember one gentleman saying, “You’re not cut out for this. You’re not very interesting and definitely don’t have the personality.” I also remember thinking, “I’m going to prove you wrong.”’
She did too: Annabel took over Treasure Hunt from Anneka Rice, then went on to present and commentate for Sky, Eurosport and the BBC. Now she’s stepping into the shoes of her former doubles partner Sue Barker, who’s retired. ‘I never thought we’d see Wimbledon without Sue but life goes on. The show must go on.’
I wish her luck. ‘Thank you. People have been amazingly generous. Obviously my children, my closest family and friends, have got me through but the public have also taken me under their wing,’ says Annabel. ‘I’m warmed by the support and am very grateful. I could not have got through this last year without all of that.’
- Wimbledon coverage begins on 1 July across BBC TV, iPlayer, radio and BBC Sounds.