Who is Annabel Croft? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2023 contestant and tennis icon

The tennis star impressed judges during her first performance with Johannes Radebe, and the duo scored 28 points.

Will she be able to impress the judges once again with her Quickstep to Walking on Sunshine by Katrina And The Waves? Tune into Strictly to find out.

So, who is Annabel Croft and how does she feel about her upcoming 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.

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.

Annabel Croft's Strictly journey so far

Scoreboard

Week One: Cha Cha Cha (7+7+7+7) = 28

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 30th September at 6:20pm. The results show will air on Sunday 1st October on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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