Annabel Croft haunted by nurse's cruel words in front of dying husband

03 November 2023 , 09:58

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Annabel Croft haunted by nurse's cruel words in front of dying husband

Annabel Croft has recalled her beloved husband Mel Coleman's dying hours – revealing one 'cruel' nurse's words has 'haunted' her ever since.

The Strictly Come Dancing star, 57, was with her husband Mel for 36 years before he tragically died earlier this year at the age of 60 – just months after he complained of stomach pain. Mel died just 16 weeks after he was given the diagnosis from doctors and passed away in May this year. Months on from her beloved passing, Annabel – who is currently competing in this series of Strictly Come Dancing with dancer Johannes Radebe – has revealed the final hours of her husband's life.

Annabel and Mel had been on a holiday to Portugal when they were getting ready one morning to see a friend Isabella Cooper, a PhD researcher at the University of Westminster – whom the couple sought help from after Mel's diagnosis. When her friend arrived, she told Annabel to call her husband an ambulance and they were blue lit to hospital but the tennis star insists she "never knew" her beloved husband "wouldn't be coming home".

Annabel with her beloved husband, Mel (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Annabel performs on Strictly with Johannes (BBC/Guy Levy)

Annabel and Mel's three children Amber, Lily and Charlie gathered in the hospital with their partners. And while the star says there were many nurses who were "angels" in Mel's final hours – Annabel has been left "haunted" by one who she said "seemed to take pleasure in telling Mel he was dying".

Recalling how the nurse began talking about death in front of Mel, Annabel tells the MailOnline: "When she started to talk like that, I said: 'Can you please come over here and talk to me privately first. I don't want him to hear this.' But she said: 'No, he is the patient. He has to hear that he is dying'."

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Annabel says she began discussing palliative care when the couple's son Charlie asked the nurse if Mel had "months or weeks" to live. The star then reveals the nurse said: "'Huh!' Almost laughing, mocking our son. 'No — hours.' Mel heard that, all of it. It was just awful." The Strictly star reveals the nurse also told the family that if Mel was to have a heart attack, they would not be resuscitating him.

"Mel actually perked up," Annabel recalls. "He'd been drifting in and out of consciousness — and said: 'I don't like the sound of that.' He said he didn't want a DNR, a do-not-resuscitate order. I didn't even know he knew the term. I objected, too. This nurse said: 'Listen to me. He's got cancer. We are not resuscitating him.' Like she was enjoying it. I'm haunted by that. So many nights it has kept me awake, remembering the tone of her voice. It was cruel."

Annabel says in that moment "something shifted' and Mel began to say goodbye as both he and the family "realised not only that he was dying, but that he knew he was dying". She says that she didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to her beloved husband as "it happened so quickly". "And then we . . . watched him die. He took his last breath," she heartbreakingly says.

Amy Denman