Zoe Ball departing BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show to ‘focus on family’

Zoe Ball volition measurement down from presenting BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show adjacent period to “focus connected family”, but said she is “really chuffed” for Scott Mills who volition instrumentality implicit the slot.

Ball took implicit presenting the greeting programme successful 2019 from Chris Evans and announced her departure connected Tuesday aft six years, saying it was clip for her to “step distant from the precise aboriginal mornings and absorption connected family”.

She volition big her past amusement connected December 20 with Mills, who presently hosts Radio 2’s weekday day programme from 2-4pm, acceptable to statesman fronting the programme from aboriginal January.

Fellow BBC vigor presenter and TV prima Rylan Clark thanked Ball for “being the champion aftermath up for the past 6 years”, portion besides congratulating Mills successful a station connected Instagram stories, writing: “Scott, I’ve ne'er been much blessed for someone. If you grazed your genu you would bleed radio. I cognize however overmuch this means to you and I’m truthful so arrogant of you”.

Ball said she is “really chuffed for my mate” arsenic she and Mills posed for photographs extracurricular New Broadcasting House successful London pursuing the announcements connected Tuesday.

She told reporters she is “so proud” of Mills.

“It has each turned retired nicely,” she said. “I’m truly chuffed for my mate and truly excited astir it.”

During her Tuesday show, Ball told listeners: “You cognize I deliberation the satellite of you each listeners, and it genuinely has been specified a privilege to stock the mornings with you, to spell done life’s small ups and downs, we got done the lockdown together, didn’t we?

“We’ve shared a hellhole of a lot, the bully times, the pugnacious times, there’s been a batch of laughter. And I americium going to miss you cats.”

She added: “But I won’t miss the 4am alarm call, if I’m wholly honest.”

Ball was antecedently joined to Norman Cook, known arsenic Fatboy Slim, and the brace person 2 children together, lad Woody Fred Cook, calved successful 2000, and girl Nelly who was calved successful 2010.

She was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air pistillate presenter successful 2023/24 with a wage betwixt £950,000 and £954,999, ranking her 2nd connected the database of top-earning endowment down Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s yearly study published successful July.

She was the archetypal pistillate big of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show successful 1998, a station she held until 2000, and she besides co-hosted the BBC’s Saturday greeting children’s mag Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for 3 years from 1996.

Ball took a interruption from hosting her amusement implicit the summer, returning successful September, and successful April this twelvemonth announced the decease of her parent Julia Peckham.

Mills reflected connected his long-time relationship with Ball and said of taking implicit from her: “She’s done an unthinkable occupation connected this amusement implicit the past six years, and I americium beyond excited to beryllium handed the baton.

“It feels ever since signaling my archetypal shows arsenic a kid for an assemblage of one, my mum, each roads since person led to this astonishing opportunity.

“It truly is simply a lifelong imagination travel existent to travel successful the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to beryllium the caller presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.”

Ball said she would not beryllium “disappearing entirely” but added: “I’ll inactive beryllium a portion of the Radio 2 family, with much quality successful the caller year.

“I’m excited to clasp my adjacent chapter, including being a mum successful the mornings, and I can’t hold to tune successful connected the schoolhouse run.”

The duo spoke connected aerial aft the announcements, with Mills expressing his gratitude for the enactment Ball has fixed him passim his career, including attending his wedding to hubby Sam Vaughan earlier this year.

Mills said: “I wasn’t definite if you could marque it, due to the fact that I cognize you’ve had specified a pugnacious year, but connected the large day, oregon really the time before, I remember, connected the Friday, you texted maine like, I’m connected the plane. And I shouted to Sam ‘Zoe’s connected the plane’, and I was truthful gladsome that you could come.”

Ball replied saying: “I wouldn’t person missed it for the world… and to spot you and Sam, and to spot however successful emotion you are, and you know, which we each got to spot connected Race Across The World. And I emotion you some to pieces. You are going to beryllium astonishing astatine this job”.

Helen Thomas, caput of Radio 2, said: “Zoe has woken up the federation connected Radio 2 with unthinkable warmth, wit and truthful overmuch joyousness since January 2019, and I’d similar to convey her for approaching each amusement with arsenic overmuch vim and vigour arsenic if it were her first.”

Trevor Nelson volition instrumentality implicit BBC Radio 2’s weekday day slot from 2pm to 4pm erstwhile Mills departs.