Celebrities

Annabel’s Family News Has Everyone Talking and It’s Pure Joy

Published on June 24, 2025

Annabel Croft has shared the lovely news that her daughter Amber and husband Hector are expecting their first baby in September – making the former Strictly star a grandmother at 58. She says she’s “looking forward to enjoying every second of it” as she savors this joyful chapter surrounded by her loving family.

Amber, 31, is eagerly awaiting the baby’s arrival this autumn, while Annabel’s son Charlie, 29, will be tying the knot with Boodles heiress Honour Wainwright in August. Her youngest, Lily, 27, lives in Dubai with her partner of five years, Felix. Speaking about becoming a grandmother, Annabel told Hello! why it feels like a real light at the end of a dark tunnel. “It’s given us something so positive to look forward to.”

The former tennis ace says she feels fortunate her children have “wonderful partners” and that they all relish each other’s company. “I’m really excited to become a grandmother,” she said. “When you have children yourself, it’s such a whirlwind and you spend your life sort of treading water, and you don’t enjoy the good bits. But now I’m looking forward to just enjoying every second.”

Annabel also shared her affection for babies, explaining they’re “full of personality” – a sentiment most of us can nod along to when that first hiccup or gurgle arrives. But her excitement now comes after a very tough period in her life. In May 2023, she lost her husband Mel Coleman to stomach cancer. Mel, a professional yachtsman, had taught Annabel to sail for a TV show and they’d married in 1993.

That grief hit Annabel hard, especially as she and Mel had been planning a quiet retirement in southwest London. It wasn’t until she accepted the opportunity to step onto the Strictly dancefloor that she felt she could even begin to cope.

Speaking to The Telegraph this month, she revealed: “I don’t know what I would have done without being busy. I would have sunk… Literally within a few weeks [of losing him] I was on the phone to my agent. He said, ‘I’ve signed you up to Strictly. You’re giving an interview tomorrow because they are announcing it.’”

Annabel went on to reach fourth place in the show, and says that after glimpsing that spark back, her grief “became less raw”. She admits the pain still visits, but now “comes in rain showers” – and they’re “getting less and then it’s gone”. Reflecting on her marriage, she added, “I didn’t know I had an incredible marriage, but I did.”

These days, with Amber’s pregnancy and her plans to downsize to a smaller house by the Thames, Annabel feels she has “so much to be positive about.” She’s determined not to let grief define her. “I don’t want to be a professional widow. I understand that a lot of people can identify with what I’ve been through, but I don’t want grief to define me.”

From vibrant Strictly routines to grandparent-to-be bliss, it’s clear Annabel Croft is embracing life’s next chapter with warmth, relish and plenty of sparkle.

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