BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Annabel Croft makes admission about Johannes Radebe and her late husband after 'life-changing' move

Annabel Croft has made an admission about Johannes Radebe and her late husband after describing her decision to take part in Strictly Come Dancing as 'life-changing'.

The former tennis ace was back in the ballroom on Saturday night (December 16) as the BBC One dance contest reached its climax with Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola, Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin and Bobby Braizer and Dianne Buswell dancing their hearts out for the 2023 title and coveted Glitterball trophy.

After three performances each and a public vote, it was Ellie and Vito who were announced as the Strictly 2023 champions. Before the news was confirmed by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, the group of this year's contestants returned for a final group routine which included Annabel and Johannes who just missed out on a place in the final, leaving the weekend before.

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Reflecting on her time on the show, Annabel, whose partnership with Johannes melted fans' hearts, said her dance partner made her laugh like her husband used to. The 57-year-old, who came fourth in the BBC One dance competition, said a heartbreaking goodbye to her husband Mel Coleman after he died earlier this year weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

During her time on Strictly, Annabel dedicated a tear-jerking dance to him that was hailed as "divine" by Strictly head judge Shirley Ballas. Speaking about the moment she knew she was in safe hands with professional dancer Johannes, Annabel told the Mail Online: "That came when he made me laugh.

"The thing that has most surprised me was how much I