“Zoe Ball is returning to BBC Radio 2 (Picture: BBC) Zoe Ball has announced a new BBC Radio 2 show, just months after stepping down from her breakfast slot. The 54-year-old presenter signed off from her morning programme at the station on December 20, with Scott Mills having taken over. However, she’s now revealed she’s”, — write: metro.co.uk
Zoe Ball is returning to BBC Radio 2 (Picture: BBC) Zoe Ball has announced a new BBC Radio 2 show, just months after stepping down from her breakfast slot.
The 54-year-old presenter signed off from her morning programme at the station on December 20, with Scott Mills having taken over.
However, she’s now revealed she’s returning to the station with a Saturday show, after taking time away from the spotlight and working in a cafe with her ex-husband Fatboy Slim.
From May, Zoe will be playing a slot between 1pm and 3pm, with her favourite music and reconnecting with listeners.
‘Zoe is one of the UK’s most loved presenters, so I’m thrilled to announce that she has a new home on Radio 2 on Saturday lunchtimes, plus she’ll be hosting various specials for us throughout the year,’ head of Radio 2 Helen Thomas said.
This will mean that Mark Goodier’s Pick Of The Pops, currently broadcast from 1pm to 3pm on Saturdays, will move to Sundays, and air from 5pm to 7pm, during Rob Beckett’s previous slot, who will continue to appear on the station as a cover presenter.
As well as the weekly show, Zoe is hosting two upcoming specials including a BBC TV show celebrating Elaine Paige’s 60 year career in showbusiness.
Zoe has swapped the early morning slot for Saturday afternoons (Picture: David M. Benett/Getty Images) 
It was a tearful goodbye on December 20 (Picture: BBC/PA Wire) In the two-month break she’s had from radio, Zoe appears to have been enjoying a slower pace of life, and was working at the Big Beach Cafe behind the till, which her ex-husband Fatboy Slim – real name Norman Cook – bought in 2013.
Their son Woody said it’s been ‘funny’ to watch his ‘crazy party’ parents swap their nights out for the cafe, gardening and puzzles.
In a recent interview, he added that it was ‘lovely’ to see his mum more compared to when she was doing the early morning shift, saying: ‘There were a lot of times when we were on literally the opposite schedules, so to have a bit more togetherness and be able to see each other more is nice.’
Zoe has been working at the café with her ex-husband, who she shares two children with and divorced in 2020 after more than two decades together (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage) This comes after Zoe signed off her final Radio 2 Breakfast Show just before Christmas, telling listeners: ‘Take care of yourselves, lovely peeps. My top cats. Merry Christmas everyone.’
Thanking her colleagues for holding her up ‘at her lowest’ and her kids Woody and Nell for ‘filling her with wonder’, Zoe said: ‘Pretty cool to be the first lass to host and I won’t be the last.’
In her closing speech, she went on: ‘It’s been a real privilege to keep you company through your morning manoeuvres.
‘You’re just there and I’m just here having a chat with a mate. It’s such a special intimate relationship. It’s never lost on me.
Scott Mills took over for Zoe (Picture: James Manning/PA Wire) ‘We’ve been through life’s little highs and little lows together. I really do hope we’ve been able to bring some sunshine and light when you’ve most needed it, a daft distraction from the harder stuff. I’ve been bowled over by your messages across the years. Thank you for sharing your stories with me.’
She continued: ‘Together there’s been much laughter, some silliness, a few tears, lots of singing, and there has been dancing. There will always be dancing.
‘Dear Scott will look after you in the New Year. He’s one of the good’uns. You’re going to have a lot of fun together. I’ll see you in the spring, popping up here on air on Radio 2 for new adventures.
‘As the song says: “You give a little love and it all comes back to you.” Well I’ve most definitely felt that love from you listeners. I feel very lucky to have been here. I send buckets of love out to you and your dear ones this Christmas. It’s been very special.’
Zoe’s decision to step down from her role at BBC Radio 2 came nine months after her mum, Julia Peckham, lost her battle with cancer.
In her statement announcing she was stepping down after six years, Zoe said it was time to ‘focus on family’ and ‘start a new chapter’ away from the early morning alarm.
Zoe was previously the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/24 with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, making her second on the list of top-earning talent behind Gary Lineker.
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