Annabel Croft
Annabel Croft is set to return as part of the BBC's presenting team for Wimbledon 2026. The former British tennis star has carved out a thriving career away from the court, becoming a familiar face at SW19 each year. So much so that many fans have grown increasingly curious about Croft's personal life and whether she is currently in a relationship.
The tennis champion-turned-broadcaster was married to husband Mel Coleman for nearly 30 years before he tragically died from stomach cancer in May 2023. Croft, 59, has spoken warmly of her beloved late partner in the years since while also opening up about the lengthy grieving process that followed his death. Nevertheless, the retired pro has also addressed her future prospects in the dating world and how that aspect of her life has evolved. Not forgetting the substantial wealth she has accumulated throughout a remarkably successful career in the media.
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Three years on from the death of her husband Mel, it seems Croft remains uncomfortable with the prospect of entering the dating scene once more. She has described the profound pain of her bereavement in considerable detail, offering a vivid and deeply personal account of just how devastated she was when her yachtsman husband succumbed to cancer just 12 weeks after receiving his diagnosis.
"I have traumatic flashbacks of the day Mel died," she told The Sun's Fabulous magazine in 2024. "During his final hours, as he drifted in and out of consciousness, he started listing instructions like, 'Change the tyre on the van' and then saying to the children, 'Sorry I can't be there for your weddings.'"
"That memory breaks my heart. After Mel died, it didn't feel real, but as though he was away on a trip and would reappear. Weirdly, the pain of grief feels like it's growing, rather than easing, because of the realisation that he's not coming back."
In 2024, scarcely 18 months following Coleman's death, Croft revealed to The Times she was nowhere near ready to re-enter the dating world. Yet that wasn't due to a shortage of interested parties.
"I've had people asking for dinner dates. I'm, like, 'You have no idea!' I'm not anywhere close to that. It gives me the heebies to think about it. It's never say never, but I wouldn't mind if it was never.
"Still, I don't want to feel doom and gloom for the rest of my life. Mel would have wanted me to be happy. I try to live in the moment, to stay as present as you possibly can. It's the only way to be - like a sportsman."
Croft has subsequently said she "didn't want to be a professional widow." Nevertheless, she emphasised at the time she remained unprepared for a comeback to the dating arena.
She subsequently reinforced that position in an interview with Hello! magazine last year when she said: "I don't even consider it. It's not something I'm thinking about at all. I'm not in that headspace – it's way too soon."
A substantial majority of Croft's financial portfolio is thought to have been built around her broadcasting career. Earlier reports suggest the British television fixture is estimated to possess wealth of approximately £1.2million, with only a modest fraction of that originating from her on-court achievements.
After all, Croft was only competing professionally for around four years following victories in both the Wimbledon and Australian Open girls' tournaments in 1984. When she stepped away in 1988, Croft had amassed about $200,000 in prize money (approximately £155,000 in current values but worth less based on the historical exchange rate).
Following nearly 40 years presenting and fronting programmes for various broadcasters, it stands to reason Croft has reached millionaire status. She even launched her own fitness video, 'Annabel Croft's Shape Tape', in 1990, although it remains unclear precisely how profitable her enterprise proved.
What is clear is that Croft would have collected around £60,000 for her 2023 participation on Strictly Come Dancing. Celebrities are understood to receive £25,000 as a standard appearance payment simply for competing, but Croft's progression to fourth place would have secured her an additional £35,000 as compensation.