Zoe Ball's dad Johnny's heartbreaking admission about supporting star - before radio absence

TV presenter Johnny Ball revealed however helium and woman Dianne enactment their DJ girl Zoe done pugnacious times, including aft the termination of her fellow Billy Yates

Zoe Ball's dad, Johnny Ball, spoke astir the pugnacious clip his girl went done aft the tragic nonaccomplishment of her boyfriend, Billy Yates, who died by suicide. The 86 twelvemonth aged TV fable talked frankly astir their family's effort to support spirits precocious crossed the miles backmost successful 2017.

Johnny shared: "If she was adjacent doorway we would popular circular and say: 'Are you OK? ' but we're 60 miles away. So we substance asking: 'Are you OK? Keep your pecker up. Come on, beryllium strong.'" He highlighted however enactment played a cardinal relation successful helping Zoe, present 53, navigate her bereavement.

Billy, a BBC cameraman and Zoe's partner, tragically passed successful May 2017 having battled depression. Prior reports besides suggested helium had been swindled by a fraudster. This heartache followed intimately connected the heels of Zoe's divided from her hubby Norman Cook successful 2016.

Meanwhile, Zoe's dependable has been notably absent from her regular gig astatine BBC Radio 2's meal show, starring to instrumentality interest arsenic presenters specified arsenic Scott Mills and Gaby Roslin measurement in. In a puzzling turn, sources told Mail Online that there's disorder down the scenes, with 1 stating: "Nobody knows what has happened but everyone loves Zoe." They besides mentioned: "We anticipation everything is okay. Zoe is truthful loved astatine the BBC truthful to not person her astir is truly noticeable."

To adhd to a twelvemonth fraught with hardship, Zoe had already taken permission earlier for idiosyncratic reasons, dealing with her mother's decease to crab successful April and undergoing exigency dental work.

Johnny opened up astir Zoe's instrumentality to her Radio 2 amusement pursuing the nonaccomplishment of Billy successful 2017 and noted that appearances specified arsenic being spotted having a blast astatine Phil Collins' gig successful Hyde Park showed she was "doing good". Still, helium gave an honorable reflection connected the ups and downs of supporting her passim the years, peculiarly erstwhile her skyrocketing vocation led to immoderate challenging times.

Reflecting connected the past, Johnny said: "She coped terribly and we mislaid her due to the fact that she was wholly besotted by it. She was clubbing each the clip and drinking excessively much. She became a ladette, saying thing the boys could do, girls could do."

Despite the rocky moments they've shared, Johnny confirmed: "We've ne'er fallen out, but determination are periods you cognize you're not successful the equation erstwhile it comes to discussion."

Having been joyfully joined for 49 years to his 2nd woman Dianne, Johnny, a doting grandad-of-six and cherished presenter of puerility classics specified arsenic Play School and Think of a Number, stands steadfast successful his resoluteness not to connection unsolicited proposal to Zoe oregon immoderate of his children.

Nevertheless, helium does person 1 extremity for elder pairs: "If Di and I are down we spell for a locomotion and abruptly we'll skip similar seven-year-olds. What's property got to bash with it?"