Zoe Ball’s tumultuous life – from relationship splits to tragic deaths before Radio 2 exit

’s decision to step down from one of the most enviable jobs in radio comes at the end of a very tough year for the star. Just months before her announcement, the 53-year-old broadcaster suffered the loss of her mum, Julia, who died from from pancreatic cancer in April.

Zoe’s grief saw her take a leave of absence from Radio 2’s Breakfast Show for much of the summer, with eventual replacement Scott Mills standing in.

This challenging year follows a tumultuous life, filled with joy and heartbreak in equal measure.

The tragic loss of her mum came less than a year after Zoe’s relationship with construction company boss Michael Reed fell apart in May 2023, despite hopes from pals that their relationship might be “easier” because he wasn’t in the showbiz industry.

Zoe’s first high-profile split occurred when her marriage to Norman Cook, better known as superstar DJ Fatboy Slim, foundered in 2016.

The couple had been icons of 1990s Cool Britannia, with Zoe being touted as the queen of the “ladettes,” although she has always disliked the term.

Her hedonistic image changed after she placed third in the 2005 series of , and she eventually became presenter of the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, helming it for a decade.

Zoe quit drinking after one particularly boozy New Year’s Eve party in 2009. She told Grazia: “I sat sobbing, knowing if I didn’t stop I’d end up in a mental home. I called a therapist I’d been seeing and asked for help.”

The mum-of-two, who has been diagnosed with ADHD, also admitted that the condition caused a ‘meltdown’ while she filming an episode of Taskmaster.

She explained that working under pressure is not her strong suit, saying: “A particular task involved a bit of timing, which is maths, which is, again, not a strength, I physically started to melt down. That did hurt my head.”

Zoe was reconciled with her estranged mother in 1989. Julia and Zoe’s TV star dad Johnny Ball had split in in the early Seventies, when Zoe was just two years old, and the two didn’t see each other again until Zoe received an invitation to her mother’s 40th birthday party.

She explained: “I didn’t see my mum Julia for a few years – she was very young when she married my dad and had me. When they parted I lived with my dad and my other ‘mum’, his wife Diane.”

Zoe and her mum grew very close after they eventually met, and Zoe was heartbroken when her mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

She told listeners at the time: “Mum’s in hospice now, pretty tough at the moment for the family.”

The man Zoe dated after her split with Norman – Antiques Roadshow cameraman Billy Yates – tragically took his own life aged 40 at home in Putney, south-west London, in 2017.

A close friend told The Sun at the time: “Zoe is overcome with grief. She is completely and utterly devastated. Billy had made her happy again after the most horrendous year when her marriage broke down.”

Zoe and Norman managed to remain on good terms after their divorce, and the pair are reportedly “spending more time together than ever” in this challenging period.

One pal confided to the Daily Mail: “They [Zoe and Norman] always seem to be together.” They’ve also been seen at club nights where their son Woody – following in his father’s footsteps – has been DJing. Zoe has also moved from her Buckinghamshire home back to the South Coast to be near her ex and their son.

Zoe’s future plans remain unclear. Announcing her exit from the Breakfast Show, she simply said: “So my last Breakfast show will be with you on the 20th of December, and then it’s high kicks all the way to Christmas, gang.

“I’m not going to be a stranger, I’m staying in the Radio 2 crew and family because it’s an amazing family – as we saw last week with Paddy’s fantastic Children in Need challenge – and I’ll have more news on that in the New Year.”