One year after his ex-wife, the mother of his daughter Zoe Ball, passed away from the disease, Johnny Ball has revealed that he has cancer.
Johnny Ball has revealed the sad news he has been secretly battling cancer. The 87-year-old TV legend’s devastating news comes just a year after the death of his ex-wife, Julia.
Johnny supported the pair’s daughter, BBC radio presenter Zoe Ball during the heartbreaking moments. Zoe, 54, had revealed at the time how her mum died just 12 weeks after she was diagnosed with cancer.
And now, Johnny has revealed he was facing his own battle. Johnny, who starred on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, was on hand to support his famous daughter amid her own struggles as well as helping her deal with her mum’s passing.
The 87-year-old, who first appeared on the television screens in 1967 to promote Play School, tells The Mirror: “I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in August 2022, and thankfully, after three months of daily radiation treatment, starting in September, I’m over it, I’m fine.
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In May last year she posted a number of family photos as she told her followers that her mother’s funeral had been a tough but “perfect” day. She wrote on Instagram: “Yesterday we said goodbye to our dear Mama, Granny J.
“Thank you for your magic and love, Mama, it was the perfect day, and she would have loved it forever. Despite missing you so much, we are still close.
As well as helping support his daughter through her mum’s diagnosis and death, he was also on hand to offer support after the the tragic loss of her boyfriend, Billy Yates, who died by suicide aged 40 in 2017.
Talking frankly about their family’s effort to keep her spirits high at the time, Johnny shared: “If she was next door we would pop round and say: ‘Are you OK? ‘ but we’re 60 miles away.
“So we text to ask, “Are you okay?” Keep your sneer down. Be strong, come on. He continued, highlighting the crucial role that work played in Zoe’s recovery.
He later said, “She coped terribly and we lost her because she was completely besotted by it.”
She frequently drank too much alcohol and was clubbing all the time. She grew to the point where she could say anything that the boys could do.
He also confirmed that although there are times when you realize you’re not involved in the discussion, we’ve never collided.
Three years after Billy’s passing, Zoe referred to it as the “hardest thing in my life” in 2020. She pleaded her memory to the 40-year-old cameraman for the profound impact he had had on her life and the shared laughter and love. He had also lived with depression for a significant portion of his life.
It’s very difficult to sit back and observe someone struggling with mental health. The hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life was losing him.
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Source: Mirror
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