entertained millions of listeners by presenting her Breakfast Show each morning. However, it has been revealed that tried hard behind the scenes to keep her on board.
The presenter had taken a leave of absence before returning to the station and announcing her resignation.
Zoe revealed she would be departing the show at Christmas after six years to make way for new presenter Scott Mills, which reportedly came as little surprise to friends and some within the industry.
An industry insider said the mother-of-two’s role as the cheerful accompaniment to the nation’s school runs and commutes was taking its toll.
“Zoe loved being on air, but she was never going to be a Wogan who lived and breathed the breakfast show for 27 years,” they said.
Zoe Ball is stepping down from BBC Radio 2. (Image: GETTY)
“The 4am wake-up calls and missing Woody (son) and Nelly (daughter) in the mornings took their toll quite early on.
“She had been thinking about leaving for a while. The had to work hard to persuade her to stay on in her last contract negotiation a couple of years ago.”
Upon her return in September, Radio 2 boss Helen Thomas agreed that it was best for Zoe and the station to swiftly develop a succession plan.
Since the star took over from Chris Evans in 2019, the breakfast show audience has reportedly fallen by nearly a third to 6.3 million listeners.
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Terry Wogan was a radio presenter on BBC for 16 year-olds. (Image: Getty)
Other insiders said it was easier for Zoe to leave the programme than to continue justifying her £950,000 salary, second only to on the pay list.
following her decision to depart the Radio 2 Breakfast Show at the end of December.
Woody, 23, Zoe shares with ex Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, has carved out his own path as a DJ following in his famous dad’s footsteps and has also been featured on the reality TV show The Circle.
He shared his sentiments on social media while expressing his excitement for Zoe’s future now that she’s taking a break from radio.
In his post, Woody shared some private family snapshots that included both of his parents together with him and his sister Nelly, 14, who tends to stay out of the spotlight.
Woody said the move would allow his mum to spend more time at home. While doing the show, he revealed her “crazy” wake-up time.
He wrote: “Well done, Mama, on a fabulous stint on Radio 2! Here’s to more time at home! Excuse the whole family pic can’t find enough crackers with @zoetheball. YOU ARE AMAZING. 4AM is a crazy time to get up!”