Zoe Ball: TV presenter, Strictly star and host of Radio 1 and 2 breakfast shows

Zoe Ball has announced she is stepping down arsenic big of the Radio 2 meal amusement to beryllium replaced by Scott Mills.

The 53-year-old said she is readying to “start a caller chapter” successful her career, which has seen her go the archetypal pistillate big of Radio 1 and Radio 2’s meal shows and look arsenic a contestant connected Strictly Come Dancing.

Blackpool-born Ball, who is the girl of TV presenter Johnny Ball, began her vocation connected BBC children’s TV amusement Playdays, earlier joining CBBC’s SMart successful 1994, presenting alongside Mark Speight and Jay Burridge.

She had her archetypal sensation of euphony broadcasting successful 1996, becoming a regular presenter connected the corporation’s flagship charts amusement Top Of The Pops, alternating with chap hosts Jayne Middlemiss and Jo Whiley, until 1998.

Ball besides co-hosted the BBC’s Saturday greeting children’s mag Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for 3 years from 1996.

In 1997 she became co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Kevin Greening, and yet became the sole big earlier leaving successful 2000 to beryllium replaced by Sara Cox.

While moving astatine Radio 1, Ball began dating instrumentalist Norman Cook, known arsenic Fat Boy Slim, and the brace joined astatine Babington House successful Somerset successful 1999.

They separated successful 2003 aft Ball revealed she had an matter with DJ Dan Peppe, but they reconciled and continued arsenic a mates until 2016 erstwhile they announced their separation earlier divorcing successful 2020.

Cook and Ball person 2 children together, lad Woody Fred Cook, calved successful 2000, and girl Nelly who was calved successful 2010.

Following the split, Ball dated cameraman Billy Yates, who took his ain beingness astatine his London location successful 2017 portion the brace were successful a relationship, and manner exemplary and carpenter Michael Reed betwixt 2017 and 2023.

Ball co-hosted the Brit Awards successful 2002 alongside Frank Skinner, and returned to vigor successful the aforesaid twelvemonth erstwhile she joined Xfm and presented the weekday drivetime amusement until December 2003. She went connected to contiguous a Friday evening euphony amusement until the extremity of 2004 erstwhile she near the station.

The 2000s besides saw Ball contiguous TV shows specified arsenic ITV’s Extinct with Sir Trevor McDonald, BBC amateur dancing amusement Strictly Dance Fever, and ITV’s Soapstar Superstar, which saw soap actors vie successful a akin benignant to Pop Idol.

Ball appeared arsenic a contestant connected Strictly’s 3rd bid successful 2005, and came 3rd with nonrecreational dancer Ian Waite, down erstwhile hurdler Colin Jackson successful 2nd and bid victor Darren Gough – the ex-England cricketer.

In 2006 she returned to BBC vigor to supply alleviation presenting duties connected Radio 2 and to beforehand specializer documentaries.

She besides co-presented the replacement for Jonathan Ross’s Saturday greeting amusement successful the aftermath of his suspension owed to Sachsgate successful 2008.

Ball began presenting Radio 2’s Saturday meal amusement successful 2009, but near successful 2012, being replaced by Anneka Rice.

The 2010s saw her co-present the Children In Need fundraising amusement alongside Sir Terry Wogan, Fearne Cotton, Nick Grimshaw and Tess Daly, and successful 2011 she took implicit arsenic the presenter of Strictly Come Dancing sister amusement It Takes Two, wherever she remained for 10 years.

During her clip presenting the spin-off show, she besides hosted the main Strictly programme successful 2014 erstwhile Claudia Winkleman took permission aft her girl suffered superior pain injuries.

In 2017, Ball returned to Radio 2 to contiguous the Saturday day slot until December 2018, earlier being announced arsenic the caller presenter of the meal amusement successful October that year.

She remained successful the relation until Tuesday’s announcement, though took a interruption from hosting the amusement implicit summertime 2024, returning successful September.

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.

Since 2020 she has appeared with her lad connected Celebrity Gogglebox and was besides Llama connected The Masked Dancer successful 2021, becoming the sixth personage to beryllium unmasked.

In April this year, Ball announced the decease of her parent Julia Peckham, penning successful an Instagram post: “We are bereft without you but volition clasp truthful choky to each other.”