BBC Wimbledon star Annabel Croft's big life change, dating update and lasting regret

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BBC Wimbledon star Annabel Croft's big life change, dating update and lasting regret
The former player turned presenter and pundit is set to be a regular fixture on our screens in the coming weeks
Annabel Croft
(Image: Getty Images )
BBC presenter Annabel Croft will once again be on our screens over the next fortnight as Wimbledon fever prepares to take over the nation.
The much-loved tennis pundit is part of the BBC's coverage for the tournament this year, part of a star-studded lineup which kicks off in earnest on Monday. A former player herself, Croft has carved out a stellar career for herself behind he microphone and in front of the camera, while she shot into the wider public conscience during her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2023.
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Her Strictly journey came just months after a tragic life event which rocked her to her core. Her husband of 30 years, Mel, died aged 60 just 16 weeks after his diagnosis.
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Two years after Mel's tragic passing, she is ready to undertake a major change and move house. She had three children with Mel, a former America's Cup yachtsman, Amber, now 31, Charlie, 29, and Lily, 27, but believes now is the time to downsize.
'The house has been my life for 25 years. Everything about it is Mel, because he built it. We've had amazing memories here that are impossible to forget, but I'm ready to go,' she told The Sun.
'What gives me pleasure is going for a morning walk in the park, running with my friends, having a coffee, a meal out and being with my family.
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"I've realised I don't need much any more. I don't want overheads, maintenance, a garden to look after and pay for – anything that is excess to what I need.'
She previously told Hello! magazine that she "doesn't even consider" going back into dating. "It's not something I'm thinking about at all. I'm not in that headspace – it's way too soon," she told the publication.
That's why she appeared to be exasperated when rumours swirled of a new romance after being spotted with a man at lunch back in April.
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'He's my bank manager and a great friend who was also close to Mel,' she told The Sun clearing up any sort of rumour. 'We were looking at photographs of Mel together. Mel adored him and he's been really helpful to me.'
Croft, who will turn 59 during the tournament, now says she is looking forward to becoming a grandmother, with daughter Amber due to give birth in September.
It will mean a new chapter in her life, one which has seen many colourful chapters already closed. One in particular, which is pertinent, too, with Wimbledon fortnight upon us, is her tennis playing career.
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The former British No.1 was a junior Wimbled and Australian Open champion, however she walked away from the sport at the tender age of 21. Explaining her decision, she said she simply "fell out of love" with the sport.
She added: "I didn't want to live that circus lifestyle any more. I shudder now, thinking: 'How did I do that with such conviction but without any idea of what I was going to do?'
"I didn't have an education or a plan. I was young and naive, and hadn't actually thought beyond that moment.'
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And there is regret over that decision. When asked if she regretted not keeping with the sport in an attempt to turn her Wimbledon title into a senior crown, she replied: 'Of course, I would have loved to have won the main trophy, but I made a decision that I didn't want to chase that dream any more.
"I regret that I didn't understand what I was doing at the time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it?'
Her professional career away from the sport, however, has been a success story.
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After five years performing in pantomime – an experience that helped boost her confidence – Croft made a successful move into television, landing a role on Channel 4's adventure show Network Seven before stepping into Anneka Rice's shoes as the new host of Treasure Hunt in 1989.
She eventually returned to her tennis roots, carving out a new career as a presenter and pundit. She began with Eurosport before going on to work with Sky Sports and the BBC, becoming a familiar face in tennis coverage.