As Zoe Ball steps back from her Radio 2 Breakfast Show duties, it’s been noted how well she’s been getting along with her iconic DJ ex Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim.
During yesterday’s show (November 19), which saw the presenter announce her shock departure to saddened listeners, Zoe, 53, reminisced over her and Norman’s 1999 wedding at Somerset’s dreamy Babbington House, remembering, ‘That was a good do’.
Zoe and Norman first locked eyes in Ibiza in the summer of 1997, at a time when big-beat electronic music and super clubs were all the rage. They went on to navigate various ups and downs over the course of their ‘Cool Britania’ era marriage, with the revelation that Zoe had cheated with Norman’s pal DJ Dan Peppe resulting in a brief separation in 2003.
In 2016, Zoe and Norman announced that they would be parting ways for good, but remained an important part of each other’s lives, co-parenting children Woody, 23, and Nelly, 14, as a team. And in recent times, the former couple have grown particularly close, with Zoe set to spend her 54th birthday watching her ex perform in North London this weekend.
Shedding light on Zoe and Norman’s reignited closeness with the Mail Online, a source revealed that Norman is ‘very much there for her’ during what has been a terrible year for the radio star. In March, Zoe shared that she would be taking time away from her presenting duties to care for her mum, Julia Peckham, following her pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Julia sadly passed away just 12 weeks after diagnosis in May, with Zoe penning the following poignant Instagram tribute. She wrote: ‘Sleep tight, dear Mama. Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally and to always show courage and empathy. And how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.’ In August, Zoe temporarily stepped back from her morning presenting duties for a six-week period, returning to the airwaves in late September.
According to the Mail, there ‘are whispers of a new closeness’ between Zoe and Norman, who are both currently single. But any potential for a rekindling of their romance is thought to likely just be ‘wishful thinking’ on the part of their many pals.
During the early days of her bereavement, Norman was there for Zoe, with the former couple seen laughing together with a group of people outside a Hove café, believed to be owned by Norman, ahead of her return to Radio 2. Zoe and Norman are reportedly “spending more time together than ever” as the presenter grieves, with a friend from Hove previously telling the Daily Mail: “They always seem to be together.” Another pal told the publication that the exes have been attending their son Woody’s DJ gigs together.
It’s understood that Zoe and Woody still get together for family occasions and Sunday lunches with their kids, and could well be spending more time with each other in the future. In yet another significant change, Zoe recently upped sticks from her £ 2 million country home to a Brighton townhouse close to where Norman lives.
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In a statement made live on air yesterday (November 19), Zoe announced that she had decided to ‘start a new chapter” after six years of early morning alarms while confirming she would continue working with Radio 2 in some capacity.
Zoe revealed: “Ok, you lovely bunch, I have some news. After six years of fun times alongside you all on the Breakfast Show, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. You know I think the world of you all listeners, and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you, to go through life’s little ups and downs, we got through the lockdown together, didn’t we?
“We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats. I’m going to miss my amazing Prod Squad who I adore. I already miss Mike, and I’m going to miss Tina and Richie. They’ve all become like family to me, like you lot. But I won’t miss the 4 am alarm call, if I’m completely honest. So my last Breakfast show will be with you on the 20th of December, and then it’s high kicks all the way to Christmas, gang.
“I’m not going to be a stranger, I’m staying in the Radio 2 crew and family because it’s an amazing family – as we saw last week with Paddy’s fantastic Children in Need challenge- and I’ll have more news on that in the New Year.”
A broadcasting trailblazer, Zoe became the first female host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 1998, a position which she held until 2000. Upon joining Radio 2 in 2006, Zoe went on to make history again in January 2019 by becoming the first woman to present the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, having been passed the baton by fellow radio legend Chris Evans. She will now be stepping down shortly before Christmas Day, with Scott Mills taking up the torch.
Scott, 51, has shared that he is “beyond excited” as he prepares for his new role. In a statement, Scott told listeners: “Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1.
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