Zoe Ball was flooded with support as she announced her mum has died.
The Radio 2 star confirmed last month she had temporarily stepped away from her show to care for her mum after she as diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The 53-year-old has today confirmed her mum, Julia, has died as she issued a heartfelt tribute.
She said: “Sleep tight dear Mama. Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.
We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other.” Celebrity fans and followers took to the comments and shared messages of support after the update.
Les Dennis said: “Sending you and all your family much love at this sad time.”
Nicki Chapman added: “Sending all my love to you and the family.”
Tony Blackburn posted: “So sorry to hear that Zoe.”
James Jordan commented: “I’m so so sorry for your loss Zoe – sending love to you and your family at this difficult time.”
Other Topics
Zoe Ball’s five-word farewell to BBC Radio 2 as she makes ‘break’ announcement
Zoe Ball is taking a break from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show as she announced her replacement.
Zoe Ball has announced that she is taking a break from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show. The 53-year-old presenter also shared who would be stepping in to fill her shoes.
Posting to Instagram, Zoe shared a piece of artwork that looked very much like her, but in cartoon form. She thanked artist David Groves Caricatures for the picture as she added her work update to the post
The BBC host wrote: “Thanks David Groves Caricatures for this!” Zoe announed her departure and replacement as she added: “The gorgeous @gabyroslin looking after Breakfast from tomorrow. See you in a wiggle…. #outofoffice #endofterm #somanyteeth #cantunseeit”.
Fans rushed to will her well and urged her to enjoy her time off from the radio show. One user wrote: “Happy Hols Zo, enjoy your OOO! Xx”
Another added: “Have a great time, we will miss you x”. “Have a great time away,” a third penned.
Zoe has hosted Radio 2’s Breakfast Show after taking over from Chris Evans in 2019. She was the first female host of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast and The Radio 2 Breakfast Show and presented the 1990s children’s show Live & Kicking from 1996–1999.
It’s not the first time she has been absent this month. Earlier in July, the presenter enjoyed time off, with Gaby Roslin sitting in as her replacement once again.
The break came after Zoe and her co-stars took the Breakfast Show to Glastonbury to bring BBC Radio 2 listeners the latest news from Worthy Farm.
Just days earlier, Zoe feared she had swallowed her tooth in a freak accident ahead of the festival.
The presenter explained: “So I’m on FaceTime with my brother Nick… We’re discussing the ins and outs of Glastonbury…I picked my phone up. I was naked about to get in the shower – not what your brother wants to see. Anyways, I put my dressing gown on and we have a chat.
“I start flossing my teeth. So this front tooth, I knocked that out when I was very, very young – and then this one [the one next to it] I also knocked out so I’m talking to Nick and I’ve got the floss and it caught on the back of my tooth, it pings across the room and then the other one.
And I’m in my dressing gown that’s not tied, half my boob’s hanging out, going, ‘I’ve got to go!’. I’m scraping around, I’ve not got my glasses on, I can’t find the tooth, ‘where’s the other one gone?’ I thought I was going to swallow it.”
She later detailed that she rushed to a dental professional to have her smile fixed in an “emergency rescue”.
