Kate’s been grieving for a long time... I can imagine how she feels
Annabel on losing her own husband
ANNABEL Croft says Kate Garraway will have been grieving for “a long time” for husband Derek Draper as she opens up about suddenly becoming a widow.
The Strictly Come Dancing star unexpectedly lost her husband Mel Coleman, 60, in May last year just weeks after he was diagnosed with cancer.
By contrast, ex-political lobbyist Derek, 56, died in January following longlasting symptoms from Covid that first put him in hospital in March 2020.
Former tennis player Annabel, 57, said: “Kate’s been going through [grief ] for a long time and it’s very different, but I can imagine how she’s feeling.
“Grief is horrendous and I take every day as it comes. I try to fill the day with nice things, but when I’m on my own at home, if I start looking at pictures, I start sobbing.
“I have three piles of unopened letters and feel awful because people have been so kind to take the time to write, but every time I start to read them, I can’t stop crying. I’m too raw at the moment.
“Christmas and New Year were really hard. There were a lot of tears. We were a tight little unit anyway, but losing Mel has brought me closer to my children.
“We have our set places at the table. It’s like the Three Bears – Mum sits there, Dad always sat there and the kids in the middle – and when we sit around that table for meals, we talk about Mel and his amazing humour, and that keeps him there.” Annabel admitted her daughters, Amber Rose and Lily, and son Charlie were worried about her losing weight on the BBC One dance show and the subsequent tour. She said: “During Strictly I went really scrawny. I couldn’t keep [weight] on with eight hours of dance a day. I lost 10lb. It’s probably gone back on now. I need to find a dance class to keep going. “I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. I try to exercise every day. I walk, do yoga, play tennis for pure enjoyment, and run cross-country. “I like being in the fresh air. I can’t bear the idea of going into a sweaty gym.” On ageing, she said: “I’m a bit more aware of wrinkles but I don’t care that much. Mel always made me feel good, so I never worried about that stuff.”
In the revealing interview with Woman&Home, she also touched on the prospect of replacing Sue Barker at Wimbledon, after she was praised for her post-match interviews on the court last year soon after Mel’s death.
Annabel said: “It was the first year I hosted the [trophy] ceremony. The most tragic thing was Mel went before I did it. He’d been beyond excited, so I was never going to pull out, he’d not have wanted me to do that.”
Grief is horrendous and I take every day as it comes
ANNABEL CROFT ON HOW SHE TRIES TO COPE