TV
'Wrestling' star wanted to "swat" Leilani
Published Sunday, Apr 24 2005, 11:20 BST | By Daniel Kilkelly
Celebrity Wrestling star Annabel Croft has given her verdict on her fellow contestants.
The former tennis star appears on the show alongside Big Brother 3 winner Kate Lawler, Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton and former Page 3 girl Leilani Dowding.
"I was worried about Kate - there were times when she could be a wimp," Croft told the Sunday Mirror. "She gives off a front as being a tomboy - the tough brawler - but inside she is quite soft and vulnerable.
"Michelle was constantly in tears because she was the least athletic out of everybody. She was crying when I went to spar against her in boot camp so I had to stop and give her a cuddle. I don't think any of us appreciated how physical and brutal the show could be.
"I imagined it as wrestling in mud with oiled-up bodies - I was a bit disappointed it didn't happen. I thought it was going to be really sexy.
"Leilani was quite a fiesty character. She was a mosquito that I wanted to swat. I really wanted to take her out. Backstage there was a bit of shouting and a lot of heated moments. Leilani and Kate had a massive swearing match over a particular fight. I flared up once - Leilani tried to say I was tired before a fight and I screamed the place down."
Celebrity Wrestling continues on ITV1 on Saturday at 6:30pm.
The former tennis star appears on the show alongside Big Brother 3 winner Kate Lawler, Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton and former Page 3 girl Leilani Dowding.
"I was worried about Kate - there were times when she could be a wimp," Croft told the Sunday Mirror. "She gives off a front as being a tomboy - the tough brawler - but inside she is quite soft and vulnerable.
"Michelle was constantly in tears because she was the least athletic out of everybody. She was crying when I went to spar against her in boot camp so I had to stop and give her a cuddle. I don't think any of us appreciated how physical and brutal the show could be.
"I imagined it as wrestling in mud with oiled-up bodies - I was a bit disappointed it didn't happen. I thought it was going to be really sexy.
"Leilani was quite a fiesty character. She was a mosquito that I wanted to swat. I really wanted to take her out. Backstage there was a bit of shouting and a lot of heated moments. Leilani and Kate had a massive swearing match over a particular fight. I flared up once - Leilani tried to say I was tired before a fight and I screamed the place down."
Celebrity Wrestling continues on ITV1 on Saturday at 6:30pm.
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