Broadcaster Zoe Ball has shared her heartfelt gratitude, saying she is “really touched” by the wave of well-wishes following her announcement that she will be stepping down as host of BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show.
The media star, aged 53, plans to leave next month and cites wanting to “focus on family” as her reason but also expresses she’s “really chuffed” for Scott Mills, who will step into the early morning role.
Ball succeeded Chris Evans in 2019 and after six years, she’s ready to bid farewell to the dawn chorus, indicating it’s time for her to “step away from the very early mornings and focus on family”, with her final broadcast scheduled for December 20. Meanwhile, Mills, currently hosting Radio 2’s afternoon slot, is set to take over from January.
On Instagram, Ball showed appreciation: “Really touched, thanks for the messages, thrilled for my mates Scott, Trevor, Spoony and Sophie.” TV favourite Rylan Clark hailed Zoe as “being the best wake-up for the past six years” while also lauding Mills in his Instagram stories: “Scott, I’ve never been more happy for someone. If you grazed your knee you would bleed radio. I know how much this means to you and I’m so so proud of you”.
Ball, beaming alongside Mills for a photo op outside New Broadcasting House, told reporters of her pride for her colleague Mills. “It has all turned out nicely,” she said contently. “I’m really chuffed for my mate and really excited about it.” Ball warmed the hearts of her fans during her Tuesday radio show when she addressed her audience, saying, “You know I think the world of you all, listeners, and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you, to go through life’s little ups and downs, we got through the lockdown together, didn’t we?”
She carried on to express her sentimentality: “We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats.” Despite the love for her job, Ball couldn’t resist adding a note on her early starts: “But I won’t miss the 4am alarm call, if I’m completely honest.”
The popular presenter, formerly wed to big-beat DJ Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, is also a proud mother to Woody Fred Cook, welcomed in 2000; and daughter Nelly who arrived in the world in 2010. In the latest reports detailing BBC’s wallet, Ball topped the charts as the highest earning female on-air talent for 2023-24, pocketing a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, which placed her just behind top earner Gary Lineker. Released in July, the broadcaster’s annual account of riches crowned her as one of its most vaunted stars.
Ball made history as the first female voice to host the Radio 1 Breakfast Show back in 1998 and held onto the chair until 2000, alongside co-hosting the staple of kids’ weekends, Live & Kicking, alongside Jamie Theakston from 1996 for three fun-packed years. After some time away during summer, Ball bounced back to the airwaves in September, and earlier, in April this year, she shared the sombre news of her mother, Julia Peckham’s death.
Mills reminisced on his long-standing friendship with Zoe Ball and expressed his excitement about taking over her show, “She’s done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.” He fondly recalled starting his broadcasting journey, “It feels ever since recording my first shows as a kid for an audience of one, my mum, all roads since have led to this amazing opportunity.”
Emphasising the significance of his new role, he said, “It really is a lifelong dream come true to follow in the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to be the new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.” Meanwhile, Zoe Ball assured fans that she wouldn’t be out of the picture entirely, stating, “I’ll still be a part of the Radio 2 family, with more news in the new year.”
Ready to enjoy her mornings differently, she declared her enthusiasm for the future, “I’m excited to embrace my next chapter, including being a mum in the mornings, and I can’t wait to tune in on the school run.” After the announcements, Mills shared personal moments with Ball on air, thanking her for her support, especially at his wedding to Sam Vaughan, revealing a touching memory, “I wasn’t sure if you could make it, because I know you’ve had such a tough year, but on the big day, or actually the day before, I remember, on the Friday, you texted me like, I’m on the plane. And I shouted to Sam, ‘Zoe’s on the plane’, and I was so glad that you could come.”
Ball gushed in response: “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world … and to see you and Sam, and to see how in love you are, and you know, which we all got to see on Race Across The World. And I love you both to pieces. You are going to be amazing at this job”. Helen Thomas, the head of Radio 2 added her praises saying, “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019, and I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first.” It was also announced that Trevor Nelson would be taking on the weekday afternoon slot from 2pm to 4pm following Mills’s departure.
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