Annabel Croft, the former tennis champion and BBC Wimbledon presenter, has shared a deeply personal account of her grief following the death of her husband, Mel Coleman, from colon cancer in May 2023. In a series of candid interviews, she revealed the poignant ways she keeps his memory alive and the regrets she carries.
Keeping His Scarf Close
On the podcast Style DNA with Amanda Wakeley, Croft disclosed that she sleeps with her husband's scarf beside her pillow because it still smells of him. "So I have his scarf that he was wearing for all the treatments and everything, and it sort of smells of him. So I go to bed and wear, not wear his clothes, I sleep with his scarf by my pillow," she said. "And he just wore it, that scarf, I didn't really like it if I'm honest. It's an awful scarf, but he absolutely loved it."
A Diagnosis That Came Too Late
Mel Coleman, a former round-the-world yachtsman, first noticed "funny pains" in his side that "weren't going away" and were "getting worse." Initially dismissing them as indigestion, scans later revealed colon cancer that had metastasised to his liver, kidneys, and potentially his brain. He died from sepsis following a tumour perforation after a flight to Portugal, just 16 weeks after diagnosis. According to the NHS, colorectal cancer is the world's second-leading cause of cancer deaths, with symptoms including changes in bowel habits, blood in stool, abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss.
Regret Over Compliments
Reflecting on their marriage, Croft admitted she regrets not complimenting her husband enough. "He loved all of my clothes. And he was always incredibly complimentary about what I wore. And he always made me feel like the most important woman in the world," she told Gaby Roslin on The Mid Point podcast. "I loved wearing clothes for him, actually, because he absolutely loved everything that I wore, always paid me compliments. And, actually, I regret that I didn't pay him enough compliments. I always said he was getting more handsome and ageing way better than me."
A Cruel Encounter with a Nurse
In a 2023 interview with MailOnline, Croft described a distressing encounter with a nurse who she said mocked her family during Mel's final hours. While acknowledging many nurses were "angels," she criticised one for telling Mel he was dying in front of their children. "She started talking about palliative care and Charlie asked her: 'What does that mean? Does he have months, weeks?' She said: 'Huh!' Almost laughing, mocking our son. 'No - hours.' Mel heard that, all of it. It was just awful," Croft recounted. The nurse also refused to honour Mel's wish for resuscitation, saying: "He's got cancer. We are not resuscitating him." Croft said she is "haunted" by the memory. "So many nights it has kept me awake, remembering the tone of her voice. It was cruel."
Moving Forward While Honouring the Past
Croft has since worn a dress she bought days before Mel's death, which he had admired. "I had visualised that I'd wear that dress with him. He really loved it. And, of course, I didn't wear it until just recently," she said. "But I'm not going to not wear it."
