She and the rest of the team were visibly emotional (Image: @bbcradio2/Instagram)
Friday morning marked the poignant farewell of from her role on the breakfast show.
Zoe, who has been the nation’s energising voice every morning for the past six years, signed off for the final time, leaving listeners with a heartfelt goodbye. A visibly emotional Zoe expressed: “I’m full of feels..”
Gratitude flowed as she paid tribute to the team, saying: “I adore you all. Thanks to all of you who have sent in questions and played along with the quiz… special shoutout to my friend Jo.”
She encouraged her friend to “keep championing” the tunes.
Her words continued to embrace each person involved in the show’s success: “I love you all and I’m going to miss you loads. Shine on you crazy diamonds.”, reports .
Zoe Ball is being replaced by Scott Mills (Image: PA)
In her fond reflection, Zoe reached out to her audience, stating: “Thank you for tuning in, whether as a lone listener, as family, as a work Gang on your morning jogs, dog walks, truck drives, train commutes, or hiding in bed, it’s been a real privilege to keep you company through your morning manoeuvres. You’re just there and I’m just here having a chat with a mate. It’s such a special, intimate relationship.”
Reflecting on shared moments with her audience, the radio star expressed deep affection: “It’s never lost on me that we’ve been through life’s little highs and little lows together. I really do hope that we’ve managed to bring some sunshine and light when you’ve most needed it. A daft distraction from the hardest stuff. I’ve been bowled over by your messages, texts, emails, cards and letters across the years. Thank you for sharing with me your stories of love and loss, your baby news, your kids leaving home. Together, listeners, there’s been much laughter, some silliness, a few tears, lots of singing, and there has been dancing. May there always be dancing.”
The beloved broadcaster reassured her fans with warmth: “Dear Scott will look after you in the new year. He’s one of the good ones. You can have a lot of fun together, and I’ll see you in the spring, popping up here on Radio 2 for new adventures, as the song says, You give a little love and it all comes back to you. Well, I’ve most definitely felt that love from your listeners. I feel very lucky to have been here. I sent buckets of love out to you and your dear ones this Christmas. It’s been very special. Take care of yourselves, lovely peeps, my top cats.”
Zoe Ball kicked off her final show today (Image: @bbcradio2/Instagram)
In a poignant farewell, Zoe chose Kim Wilde’s ‘Keeping The Dream Alive’ as her final track at the station.
Just before, the programme paid tribute by playing her most memorable moments on air, which included her opening lines, conversation with megastars, and a heartfelt note from her son, bringing her production crew to tears. Surrounded by applause, she tearfully expressed: “Oh my goodness me. And this is for everyone who listened and this whole team in the room and my kids of course. Do I love you? Indeed I do.”
Earlier, overwhelmed with emotion, she noted that she was brimming with “all the emotions” amid unexpected accolades from admirers, including celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Oti Mabuse. She started the broadcast admitting the team had reunited for one last time, conceding: “We’ve had some tears already. We don’t quite know what to do with ourselves this morning, do we? I’ve come in and I suddenly can’t remember how to press the button.”
Zoe Ball promised to return in the Spring (Image: Instagram)
Her fellow presenter quipped over their uncertainty, saying: “I wasn’t sure which chair to sit in! ” to which Zoe remarked: “We’re all pretending we’re going to be OK, that the emotion isn’t getting to us – but it’s definitely getting to us. So hold tight! But Richie, so many nice comments yesterday – made me blub my eyes out! “.
She went on to confess: “I’ve already had a little cry on Patrick! But we’re going to have lots of fun today. We’re playing some of my favourite records today – both Christmassy and non-Christmassy ones and we’ll get through as many messages from the listeners as we can.”
She later confessed that she “couldn’t be happier” to pass the baton to Scott Mills in the upcoming year. The announcement of Scott’s new position came on the heels of Zoe’s prolonged absence from the show over the summer, following the loss of her mother earlier this year.
WARNING TAKEN FROM INSTAGRAMEmotional Zoe Ball pictured leaving Radio 2 studiohttps://www.instagram.com/bbcradio2/?hl=en (Image: @bbcradio2/Instagram)
Last month, she announced on air that her tenure on the show was drawing to a close. However, she assured listeners: “I’m not going to be a stranger, I’m staying in the Radio 2 crew and family because it’s an amazing family.”
Zoe made her debut on the show on January 14, 2019. During her final broadcast, she revisited some of her favourite moments from her time on the show.