Who is Annabel Croft? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant and tennis icon
The judges have been finding the sportswoman increasingly impressive in the competition so far.
Annabel Croft will be taking on the American Smooth at the iconic Blackpool Tower Ballroom this weekend as Strictly finally enters its anticipated Week Nine.
The tennis star and her dance partner Johannes Radebe will perform their American Smooth to Unchained Melody by Benedetta Caretta on the historic and sprung dance floor - which is famously supported underneath by foam, making the floor slightly bouncy to dance on.
Last weekend, the couple impressed with their super-fun samba, scoring 31 points from the judges and placing sixth on the Strictly leaderboard.
West End star Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin have taken over Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola at the top of the leaderboard with a near-perfect score of 39 points.
The dancing duo also moved the audience and judges alike with their poignant and affecting dance to Wings by Birdy, during which Annabel paid tribute to her late husband, Mel Coleman, who died earlier this year, months after being diagnosed with cancer.
They scored an impressive 35 points, placing them third place on the leaderboard.
So far in the competition, the couple has danced the tango to Need U Tonight by INXS for Halloween Week and performed the Charleston to Ladies Night by Kool & The Gang in Week Five, ending up placing bottom of the leaderboard with 27 points.
In Week Three, Annabel and Johannes dazzled with their energetic jive to Feel It Still by Portugal, The Man, scoring 29 points and placing sixth on the leaderboard.
Annabel is part of a star-studded cast this year, which also includes the likes of Angela Rippon and Nigel Harman.
So, who is Annabel Croft and how does she feel about her stint on the dance floor? Read on to find out.
Who is Annabel Croft?
Age: 57
Job: Former British Number One tennis player and presenter
Instagram: @annabel_croft
Twitter: @Annabel_Croft
Strictly partner: Johannes Radebe
Annabel Croft is a former British Number One tennis player. At 15, she became the youngest British player to compete at Wimbledon for 95 years, going on to achieve a world ranking of 24 at the height of her tennis career.
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She won the WTA Tour event Virginia Slims of San Diego and represented Great Britain at various prestigious competitions, including Wightman and several Federation Cups. She retired from professional tennis at the age of 21 and went on to work as a radio and television presenter, playing an integral role in Wimbledon coverage since.
Croft has also presented the likes of Treasure Hunt and Inceptor, and works as a pundit for broadcasters such as BBC, Sky, Amazon Prime, ITV and Discovery.
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Annabel Croft's Strictly journey so far
Scoreboard
Week One: Cha Cha (7+7+7+7) = 28
Week Two: Quickstep (4+6+6+6) = 22
Week Three: Waltz (8+8+7+7) = 30
Week Four: Jive (7+7+7+8) = 29
Week Five: Charleston (5+7+7+8) = 27
Week Six: Tango (7+7+7+8) = 29
Week Seven: Couple's Choice (8+9+9+9) = 35
Week Eight: Samba (7+8+8+8) = 31
What has Annabel Croft said about joining Strictly 2023?
Speaking of joining the Strictly line-up, Croft said: "I have always loved watching Strictly and can't quite believe I'm going to be part of this magical show – swapping tennis balls for glitter balls and looking forward to finding some joyfulness in the process."
Having won ITV's one-off Celebrity Wrestling in 2005, it appears Croft is no stranger to stepping out of her comfort zone, and she certainly sounds ready to put on those dancing shoes.
Ahead of Croft's appearance on the shiny dance floor, Strictly Come Dancing podcast host Joe Sugg caught up with the tennis player and revealed one thing she is looking forward this Strictly season.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Joe Sugg said: "With this experience, she just wants to completely take away that sort of competitive nature and actually go into it just embracing the experience and having fun with it, which is exactly what the show is about and actually I think that a lot of the time, that's what takes you further into the competition is when the public can really see that you are really just enjoying the whole process."
When does Strictly Come Dancing 2023 air?
Strictly Come Dancing 2023 airs every weekend on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman hosting the show, and Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas returning to the judging panel.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 18th November at 6:40pm. The results show will air on Sunday 12th November at 7:15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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