PLANS TO HAVE A SMASHING TIME ON THE DANCEFLOOR
INTERVIEW: MELANIE MACLEOD
A fresh-faced and ambitious Annabel Croft made her name winning junior Wimbledon in 1984, days before her 18th birthday.
And 39 years on, she has her eyes on another prize – the Strictly Come Dancing Glitterball trophy.
Annabel, 57, now has an impressive broadcasting career and is among the celebrity dancers in this year’s contest, hoping that staying fit by running with her girlfriends for the past 20 years and playing padel will put her in a good place.
“I’ve been running for 20 years with a whole group of ladies and I know that whatever the weather, whether it’s gale force wind, torrential rain, snow or sunshine, we always meet,” she tells HELLO!. “We run early in the morning and then have coffee afterwards, and it’s a really amazing mental pick-me-up. It improves my day and exercise is a massively important part of my life.”
Annabel will be competing on the dancefloor with fellow stars including Les Dennis, Angela Scanlon and Angela Rippon when the popular BBC1 prime-time show returns next month.
She also has a poignant reason to hope to do well – her husband Mel Coleman, who died from cancer in May, loved the show.
“I’m so excited to be taking part,” she says. “I’ve always been a big fan of the show – my husband was a really huge fan of it.
“It’s just exciting to do a new challenge and have fun in the process; not take myself too seriously.”
As well as her beloved tennis and running, Annabel keeps fit by practising yoga and playing padel – a racket sport that she says is totally different from tennis and keeps her smiling during tough times.
“When I first picked up the padel racket, I absolutely loved it instantly. It is so much fun and you laugh a lot. And anyone can play,” she says.
“I play with friends and it levels the playing field a little bit more – padel is slightly easier for p
