Zoe Ball has spoken candidly about what she calls one of the hardest years of her life, opening up about stepping away from BBC Radio 2 for the second time — and the devastating loss of her beloved mother.
The 55-year-old presenter, once one of the BBC’s highest-paid stars, signed off from her Saturday afternoon show last week. The decision comes just a year after she previously quit the Radio 2 Breakfast Show to “focus on family” following her mother Julia Peckham’s death in April 2024.
Julia passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer, with Zoe taking time away from work both before and after her mum’s passing.
Reflecting on the year, Zoe admitted that she hasn’t been alone in struggling.
“I know lots of my friends have had a really tough year this year,” she said. “People are worrying about money, people are worrying about jobs. I’m so grateful we’re all there for each other.”
Speaking to The Mirror, she added:
“As you get older, do you stop worrying about the daft stuff? I don’t know if that’s true — because you might care less about some things, but there’s loads of other stuff to worry about.”
She compared life to an action film moment, saying:
“Life is a bit like Indiana Jones sometimes — when the massive ball is running down the hill and you’re just trying to deal with it.”
Earlier this year, Zoe fought back tears as she revealed she suffered a complete emotional breakdown after her mother’s death, forcing her to step away from work.
On her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, she confessed:
“I couldn’t work. I was on the floor in the kitchen. I couldn’t move. I had a proper emotional breakdown. It was brutal.
“I had an amazing doctor who turned up at my door with coffee and bagels and said, ‘We need to get you some help,’ and he was wonderful.”
Zoe was replaced by Scott Mills on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show last December when she stepped back to focus on her family, walking away from a reported £950,000 salary.
Announcing her mother’s death last year, Zoe wrote on social media:
“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. We are bereft without you.”
Confirming her latest departure from her weekend Radio 2 slot — with Emma Willis taking over — Zoe reassured listeners she isn’t disappearing for good.
“I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh and Rylan,” she said. “But I’m not going completely. I’ll be doing Christmas Crooners and an Eras show in the New Year — more on that later.”
In an official statement, Zoe added:
“Spending Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 gang has been an absolute hoot — the listeners, the stories, and of course my weekly giggles with Romesh and Rylan.”
After a year marked by grief, change and soul-searching, fans are left wondering what the next chapter will bring for one of Britain’s most beloved broadcasters.
