Zoe Ball has announced she is leaving her role as presenter of her BBC Radio 2 show. The broadcaster, 55, also confirmed that she will be replaced by telly star Emma Willis.
Confirming the news, Zoe told listeners: “I have loved being betwixt my dear friends Romesh (Ranganathan) and Rylan (Clark), and you know, I love you all to bits, but I’m not disappearing completely.
“Obviously, it’ll be Christmas Crooners, and I’m doing an eras show in the new year, more on that later. But I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a superwoman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.
“You’ll have loved her on The Voice, The Circle, Big Brother, Cooking With The Stars, Love Is blind, and delivering babies, she’s a gorgeous lass, so welcome to the BBC Radio 2 family and Saturday afternoons, Emma Willis.”
Speaking about her new role, Emma said: “I’m a huge fan of Radio 2, so I’m absolutely chuffed to be joining the family – and it’s a real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore.
“I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience, and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!” In a statement, she added: “It’s really exciting, and it’s quite nerve-racking as well, because you’ve got, you always have fantastic boots and shoes, but they are very big boots and shoes to step into Zoe Ball.”
Meanwhile, Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 added: “Emma is one of the UK’s most popular broadcasters, so I’m thrilled that she’s joining the all-star Radio 2 family of presenters.
“I’m certain that our loyal listeners will welcome her with open arms. I can’t wait to hear Emma’s new show as a part of our Superstar Saturday weekend schedule, which features Tony Blackburn, Dermot O’Leary, Romesh Ranganathan, Rylan, Liza Tarbuck, Gary Davies and Fearne Cotton.”
In a statement, Zoe said that spending Saturdays with Radio 2 listeners had been “an absolute hoot”, hearing stories and her “weekly giggles” with Rylan and Romesh had been one of her highlights. She added that she was “over the moon” for Emma to be taking over from her.
The news comes after Zoe made the decision to step down from her Radio 2 breakfast show in December of last year, having spent almost six years as the voice of early mornings. She made her return to the station just shy of five months later, taking the 1pm to 3pm slot on Saturdays.
At the time of her 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. This had worsened following a string of personal issues, including the death of her mother, Julia, in April 2024, and health problems. Zoe has spoken openly about her temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) diagnosis, which causes her to suffer from headaches. She was the highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/2024, taking home between £950,000 and £954,999. This saw her place second on the top-earning talent, behind Gary Lineker.
Emma, however, is no stranger to radio, having previously hosted on the Heart network between 2012 and 2018. She later went on to become a cover presenter of Radio 2 in 2019. Zoe became the first woman to present the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show on her own after Kevin Greening left the programme in 1998.
Away from Radio 2, Zoe’s first project for the corporation will be the Eras for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds podcast, focusing on the life and career of Phil Collins. Listeners will hear Collins throughout each chapter, focusing on different parts of his life, with new interviews and contributions from the likes of Bob Geldof, Sir Richard Branson and Phil’s son, Nic Collins.
Reflecting on her new role, Zoe said: “Phil Collins’ music is woven into all our lives, those songs are time machines, full of heart, drama and joy. I’ve been a lifelong fan ever since discovering Genesis as a young teenager, and their Wembley gig in ’87 is still one of the best nights of my life.
“I’ve been lucky enough to chat with Phil a few times over the years, but to dive into his extraordinary story for Eras and sit down with him again for such a special, intimate conversation about music, family and everything in between is an absolute dream. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”
Source: Mirror
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