Annabelle Croft

The highlight of my sporting weekend was not the ATP tennis, not the sports on offer, but Annabelle Croft’s appearance on Michael
Berkeley’s Radio 3 programme “Private Passions”

I have long been a huge fan of her. She was a tennis prodigy who abandoned her fledgling tennis career to pursue other paths and eventually became a tennis commentator and a very fine one too. Tragedy struck when her beloved husband – a competitive sailor – died of cancer, leaving her bereft and with three children. Undeterred she pursued yet another career as a dancer on “Strictly” and succeeded there too.

Normally such people are not usually known for humility but Annabelle is. She is now undertaking a fourth career – touring the country with her own show – and I shall try to see it.