“The DJ, 55, surprised her listeners last weekend when she announced live on air she is quitting the weekly slot after just seven months.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
The DJ, 55, surprised her listeners last weekend when she announced live on air she is quitting the weekly slot after just seven months.
Zoe, who will be replaced by Emma Willis, revealed that Saturday’s lunchtime show will be her last – but added she will ‘not disappear completely’ and is set to return to host specials for the station.
Arriving to record her last show, Zoe wore a brown tweed blazer with a pair of dark denim roll-up jeans.
She paired the look with a black sweater and sunglasses and was seen sipping on a smoothie from Joe And The Juice.
Zoe rocked up to the studio carrying an array of full Waitrose bags as she took selfies with fans and gave autographs.
Zoe announced she was quitting her lunchtime show last week, where it was announced Emma would take over.
Revealing Emma’s identity to listeners live on air, Zoe said: ‘I have loved being betwixt my dear friends [and fellow presenters] Romesh [Ranganathan] and Rylan, 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. I am thrilled to tell you that you will be in the safest of hands, because there is a super woman who is no stranger to you all, but this does mean that she will officially become a member of the Radio 2 family.’
Before adding: ‘I am over the moon for the fabulous Emma to take the reins, she’s pure sunshine and is going to bring all the joy (and tunes!) to your Saturdays!’
Meanwhile 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!’
The BBC later took to Instagram to confirm the news as well as plugging Zoe’s first special programme for the station.
They said: ‘Zoe will continue to host specials on the station and her first new project is a new series of the award-winning Eras podcast for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, focusing on the life and legendary career of Phil Collins.’
Zoe spoke about her dramatic exit on Tuesday, explaining to the Daily Mail she was ‘just stepping back’ from the show – amid speculation she is lined up to take over presenting Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking from her home in Hove, East Sussex, the presenter said she did not want to comment further on her decision.
Zoe quit Radio 2’s flagship Breakfast Show in November last year after six years to ‘focus on her family’.
And it is easy to see why she would want to spend more time at home, after overseeing a beautiful transformation of the seaside property since she bought it in March last year for £2million.
Her handsome peach-and-white stucco house, which has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, used to be split up into several flats, like many other properties on the street.
But after nearly a year of renovations, it has now been transformed into a single, stunning home, with bright, quirky decoration to replace its previous stripped-back look.
Zoe posted a series of photos of the transformation on Instagram in April, with the caption: ‘Life lately… Been busy feathering the nest & garden. The house needed some character, colour & warmth, the white & grey original rooms were before Catherine @arior_design worked her wonders.’
The star also thanked the contractors who worked on the property, all of whom are based locally, which Zoe proudly flagged with the hashtags ‘#sussexbusinesses’ and ‘#sussextrades’.
Her relocation to Hove came as a ‘fresh start’, with a source telling the Daily Mail at the time: ‘Zoe obviously got fed up with life in the country and wanted to move to somewhere a bit more lively.
‘She has become really engrossed in making her house just as she wants it and has been happily ordering furniture and buying bits and bobs to make it perfect.’
And it also purposefully brought her closer to her ex-husband and father of her children Norman Cook, 62, otherwise known by his DJ name Fatboy Slim, whom she remains fast friends with.
The couple split in 2016, after 18 years of marriage, with their divorce finalised in 2020, saying they had ‘come to the end of their rainbow’ after ‘many exciting adventures’.
Their relationship was not smooth sailing – they briefly split in 2003 when Zoe had an affair with Norman’s DJ pal Dan Peppe, and she was also pictured months before their divorce sharing a drunken kiss with then-22-year-old Tay Tay Starhz, from British pop boyband Franklin Lake.
But they have always stayed close as co-parents and friends – with Norman even recently calling Zoe his ‘soulmate’, in an interview promoting his autobiography earlier this year.