BBC star Zoe Ball has broken her silence for the first time since sensationally quitting her Radio 2 show – amid swirling Strictly rumours.
The presenter, 55, announced she would be stepping down during her show last Saturday – with her final programme set to air on December 20.
Zoe cryptically said she would ‘not be disappearing completely’Credit: Getty
The presenter, 55, announced she would be stepping down during her show last SaturdayCredit: BBC
Zoe cryptically said she would “not be disappearing completely”, before revealing her lunchtime slot replacement as presenter .
The shock announcement came after the host emerged in the BBC’s “Golden Ten” top-secret Strictly Come Dancing chemistry test.
put through their paces to find the perfect on screen partnership for the Saturday night show.
But speaking on her decision to quit the radio show, the beloved presenter claims she was “just stepping back”, according to the MailOnline .
Zoe first took to the airwaves as co-host of the prestigious Radio 1 Breakfast Show nearly thirty years ago.
She then became the first female DJ to host the primetime slot solo.
After nearly two decades at Radio 2, Zoe said she will be stepping down in the new year but will return to host specials for the station.
She took on the Saturday lunchtime show after quitting as the voice of the Radio 2 Breakfast show in 2024, which she helmed for six years.
Zoe was the Beeb’s second-highest paid presenter while hosting the coveted morning slot, pocketing £950,000 between April 2023 and 2024.
Announcing her decision on air, she said: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark).
“I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.
“Obviously, it’ll be Crooners and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later.
“I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a super woman who is no stranger to you all…
“…but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.”
The news immediately sparked rumours Ball could be in the running to replace Tess and Claudia as host.
Earlier this series, the duo dropped a bombshell, revealing they would be stepping away from the beloved BBC dance show for the final time.
Amid all the work changes for Zoe, there have also been personal developments in her life.
She recently revealed she has a mystery “lodger” who she joked has “won more awards” than her.
Ball dropped the hint on her “Dig It” podcast, confessing that her multimillion-pound pad now has a very special new resident.
While Zoe has hinted at a mystery man, the status of their relationship remains unclear.
She took on the Saturday lunchtime show after quitting as the voice of Radio 2 BreakfastCredit: PA
Emma Willis will be taking the reins of the popular Saturday lunchtime showCredit: PA
Her last public romance was with construction worker Michael Reed, which ended in 2023.
Zoe was married to DJ Norman Cook (better known as Fatboy Slim) for 18 years, before splitting in 2016.
The couple, who co-parent their children Woody and Nelly, , with Norman even calling Zoe his “soulmate.”
Zoe quit the Radio 2 breakfast show at the end of 2024 following the heartbreaking , Julia Peckham, to cancer in April last year.
She left the coveted slot to “focus on family” and took a four-and-a-half month break from the following her mother’s death.
At the time, Zoe shared a touching tribute to her late mum on social media, saying: “Sleep tight dear Mama.
“Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy…
“… and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.”
Opening up about her grief, Zoe revealed she found the first birthday of her mum, Julia, since her death especially hard.
She said: “It’s a year and a bit since we lost mum, and I found her birthday this year, the toughest, the toughest, you know, a whole year later.
“That was brutal. It was a week of absolute weeping, I still get quite emotional sort of talking about mum, even now.”
Emma Willis is due to replace Ball on her Radio 2 show from next weekend.
Willis said: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family.
“It’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.
“I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience…
“I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”
The beloved presenter claims she was ‘just stepping back’ from the showCredit: instagram
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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