Strictly star Annabel Croft 'haunted' by nurse's 'cruel' words in front of dying husband Mel
Topics: Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity, Health
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Karwai Tang/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Topics: Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity, Health
Strictly Come Dancing star Annabel Croft has opened up on her beloved husband Mel Coleman's final hours.
Annabel, who is currently competing in the latest series of the popular BBC dancing show, tragically lost her husband of 36 years at the age of 60 earlier this year.
In May, the Strictly Come Dancing star's husband Mel lost his life after a short battle with colon cancer, coming just weeks after he complained of stomach pain.
16 weeks after he was given the diagnosis from doctors, Mel lost his life, bringing huge devastation to Annabel and her family.
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The couple were in Portugal when they were getting ready one morning to see Isabella Cooper, a PhD researcher at the University of Westminster.
The researcher had been in regular contact following Mel's diagnosis, but when they met up on that sunny May day, Isabella instructed Annabel to call her husband an ambulance.
Mel was transported to hospital, and he was never to return home.
Before his tragic passing, the couple's three children, Amber, Lily and Charlie visited the hospital with their partners.
While Annabel admits that many of the nurses looking after her beloved husband in his final hours were 'angles', the Strictly star has been left 'haunted' by one particular nurse who she claims took 'pleasure in telling Mel he was dying'.
Speaking to the MailOnline, Annabel recalled the moment the nurse began talking about the passing of Mel right in front on him on his hospital bed.
Annabel said: "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'.
"She started talking about palliative care and Charlie asked her: 'What does that mean? Does he have months, weeks'?
"She said: 'Huh!' Almost laughing, mocking our son. 'No — hours.' Mel heard that, all of it. It was just awful.
"She said: 'Oh, and by the way, if he has a heart attack, we are not resuscitating him'."
Despite that, Annabel recalls how Mel 'perked up' in hospital as he spoke about not wanting a DNR, a do-not-resuscitate order.
What came next haunts Annabel to this day, with the Strictly star recalling: "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 unfortunately didn't get chance to say a proper goodbye to Mel as 'it happened so quickly'.