The beloved presenter and radio host has broken her silence on her new boyfriend and addressed the ‘ carnage and chaos ‘ of juggling work and co-parenting with her ex Fatboy Slim
Zoe Ball has confirmed for the first time that she has a new boyfriend, after teasing with fans with talk of her mystery “lodger”. The former BBC Radio 2 presenter broke up with her last public boyfriend in 2023 and has kept the details of her love life very much under wraps in the years since.
But now the mum of two, who split from her ex-husband Norman Cook (known as Fatboy Slim) a decade ago after 18 years together, has set the record straight and admitted that the live-in man is indeed her boyfriend. In a new interview, 55-year-old Zoe also addressed her relationship with her musician ex, and explained how they juggle their work with co-parenting their son Woody, 25, and daughter Nelly, 16.
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“I love that he is still out there, playing to the masses”, she told The Sunday Times Style Magazine. “We’ve been really lucky with our relationship. When he has wanted to do things, I’ve been able to say, ‘ I’ll be here for that bit. ‘ Just for this next six months, I need to be here”.
Her last public relationship, with construction worker Michael Reed, ended three years ago, and she revealed on her and Jo Whiley’s Dig It podcast last year that there was a so-called mystery man living with her in her Sussex home. While he’s been referred to on various occasions as her “lodger”, her new interview states: “She confirms in a follow-up email is her new boyfriend, but prefers not to name”.
While she has never identified the mystery man on the podcast, she has dropped more than a few hints that she was enjoying a romantic relationship. Chatting all things love and romance, she said recently: “I’ve often had this thing, when I’ve been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits”.
She continued, “I know it sounds weird, but if you love someone, you’ve got to love all their smells, not necessarily their bathroom smells. I draw a line at that. But there’s something about armpit smells that I think are really sexy.”
She went on to say her favourite thing to do, “especially if I’ve not seen my lover for a while, is when they’ve got their arms around you, I’m like sniffing in the armpits, and I get a right old look”.
Prior to dating Michael, Zoe, whose own parents separated when she was two, dated cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically took his own life in May 2017 after a lengthy battle with depression.
Speaking afterwards to raise awareness about men’s mental health, Zoe said: “After he died, I was left with lots of questions. I think it is one in four of us in the UK who are living with mental illness. Those figures are huge, so most people you meet are going to have been touched by this subject.
Last year, she delivered a heartfelt tribute to him on her social media, marking the eight-year anniversary of his death. Alongside a photograph of Billy, she wrote:” 8 years forever in our hearts Billface #mateswithyates. “
On the subject of her loss, she told the Sunday Times this week that his death gave her a different perspective on life, sharing:” There is the grief-on-grief of other losses. It’s really made me look back and think, right, what’s important here? “
Zoe stepped down from her BBC Radio 2 gig late last year after announcing the news just a week earlier. She said a final goodbye to her listeners on December 20, before handing over the reins to Emma Willis.
The shock news came a year after she left the Radio 2 Breakfast show a year earlier after almost six years at the helm, before returning to take over the Saturday afternoon slot.
At the time of her breakfast departure, Zoe said she wanted to” focus on her family “as well as escape the” very early mornings, “citing her 4am alarm clock taking its toll on her.
She said these had been compounded by a number of health and personal issues, including the death of her mother Julia in April 2024.
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