The much-loved broadcaster was seen for the first time since leaving Radio 2 for her signature show at Elton John’s London Palladium.
BBC Radio 2 star Zoe Ball made her first public appearance at the Elton John show since stepping down from the breakfast show. The star appeared to be having a great time at the gig which comes after a difficult year for the star in which her mum died.
She joined a plethora of stars including Sam Fender, Ronnie Wood, Jason Momoa, and Björn Ulvaeus at the London Palladium. An onlooker said: “She seemed in great spirits and was singing along.”
Her outing comes after her dad Johnny recently opened up about her tough year. He said: “Her mum died last year and she’s had various other problems, but she’s chuffed to have packed in the Radio 2 breakfast show, as she’s realised every day has 24 hours now.
“Her days used to start at 4 am, and by midday she was knackered.” She recently commented, “I’m in such a good place,” when I visited.
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The broadcaster left the station’s breakfast show last year, with her close friend Scott Mills taking over as host. But she will soon be back with a weekly music offering.
Zoe’s Saturday show will start at 1pm and end at 3pm, featuring “lots of laughs” and playing some of her favorite songs. Zoe is one of the UK’s most beloved presenters, according to Heidi Thomas, head of Radio 2. I’m thrilled to announce that she has found a new home on Radio 2 on Saturday lunchtimes.
Additionally, she’ll be hosting a number of special events for us throughout the year.
Zoe, 54, who presented her last Radio 2 Breakfast Show on December 20 after six years, most recently presented two episodes of Christmas Crooners over the festive period. As previously announced, she will also host TV show Elaine Paige: 60 Years in Showbusiness, a concert honouring the extraordinary career of the singer who is also the station’s host of Elaine Paige on Sunday.
The news comes after Zoe’s eldest child, musician Woody Cook, revealed that she had been helping out in a cafe following her Radio 2 exit. He said: “These crazy party people I grew up with are now gardening, making puzzles and working in the local cafe.”
Woody, 24, also said he was thrilled about Zoe leaving the breakfast show. He explained: “It’s lovely seeing my mum more… obviously she’s had quite a weird schedule for the last few years.”
Zoe made the announcement that she would leave Radio 2 shortly after her extended summertime absence due to the death of her mother. She stated in a statement on television that she thought the time had come to “start a new chapter.”
However, she confirmed that she would be still be working with Radio 2 in some capacity after her breakfast show exit. Her mother Julia passed away aged 74 in April last year following the news that she had been diagnosed with cancer. Before Zoe’s decision to walk away, the breakfast show’s audience increased.
According to statistics provider Rajar, on average, 6.8 million people tuned into Zoe’s show during the final quarter of the year. The show’s highest output since 2023 was 9% higher than the previous three months.
Source: Mirror
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