Annabel Croft has lifted the lid on her 2023 Strictly Come Dancing experience and her journey with grief. The former tennis ace lost her husband, Mel, to colon cancer in May 2023, just months before she took part in the BBC dance competition. She was eliminated from the show during the series 21 semi-final, narrowly missing out on a place in the final the following week. The 59-year-old recently shared some family joy after her eldest daughter, Amber, gave birth to a boy, Arlo. Speaking to The Sunday Post, Annabel said: "It feels odd to be a gran, but lovely. It brings back so many memories of what it feels like to become a mum. It feels like yesterday I was doing it with her and now she's the parent.

"It's been a mad period, but wonderful too. My son, Charlie, got married, and the wedding was incredible. It couldn't have been more perfect - the weather was amazing and the whole thing was spectacular. Then my youngest daughter, Lily, got engaged, and now there's a baby. There's a lot going on!"

Annabel also touched on Strictly helping her get through her grief after the loss of her husband. She revealed: "When people ask why I did Strictly so soon after, I think, 'Gosh, why would I not say yes?' What was I going to do - come back to an empty house and cry all evening? I've subsequently realised how helpful it was to get up every day instead of sitting in this house, which my husband built."

She added: "Coming back to a house that used to be full of life, full of Mel, but was suddenly empty, was terrifying. I was in grief and crying every day, so to have that focus of doing something positive and distracting the brain was really an incredibly healing process and I'm very grateful I had the opportunity. I'm not sure how I would have got through that winter without it, to be honest."

Mel, who was 60 years old when he died in May 2023, was a professional yachtsman and investment banker who married Annabel in 1993. The couple share three children; Amber Rose, Lily and Charlie.

During Strictly, Annabel was up against Coronation Street actress Ellie Leach, EastEnders star Bobby Brazier, and West End actor Layton Williams as they all competed for the highly coveted Glitterball Trophy.

Paired with Johannes Radebe, she narrowly missed out on a spot in the final. The 2023 series was later won by Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola.

Strictly Come Dancing resumes on BBC One this Saturday.