Strictly Come Dancing’s Annabel Croft has opened up about the terrible ordeal her family went through at the time of her husband’s death.

The former tennis champion, whose husband Mel Coleman died of colon cancer at the age of 60 back in May, has described being “haunted” by her interaction with a particularly “cruel” nurse.

Annabel was in tears as she recalled the medical worker appearing to make light of the fact that her husband was dying.

While she acknowledged that many of the nurses who were with Mel in his final days were “angels”, she slammed one woman for her “mocking” demeanour as she and her children Amber, Charlie and Lily all gathered around to say their goodbyes to their dad.

“I’ve asked myself, since, if she was a psychopath,” she told MailOnline. “It felt like it because she seemed to take pleasure in telling Mel he was dying.

“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.

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“She said: ‘Oh, and by the way, if he has a heart attack, we are not resuscitating him.’”

At this point, Annabel explained that Mel had made it clear he didn’t want a do-not-resuscitate order, while she also objected to it.

Annabel continued: “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.”

Mel’s death came as a huge shock to his family, as it happened just 16 weeks after the healthy former round-the-world yachtsman was diagnosed with cancer.

Annabel has since discussed how Strictly came around at the “right time” for her, as the intense dance rehearsals and gruelling schedule give her something to focus on.

The star, who is partnered up with professional dancer Johannes Radebe, will be taking on the Jive next week with a routine to Feel It Still by Portugal.

Strictly Come Dancing returns this Saturday at 6.30pm on BBC One.