Zoe Ball has returned to her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show after a six-week absence and asked her listeners “What have I missed?”
The veteran presenter, 53, confirmed on Sunday that she will resume her role as host of the morning show after a mysterious absence.
But Zoe proved that all was well as usual as she offered her fans a cheerful welcome, saying “hello happy travellers, I’m back” and telling them she hoped they enjoyed their “Brat summer”.
Thanking fellow radio host Scott Mills for filling in for her, she said: “Thanks Scott Mills for taking over the show for the week – more on that later. What have I missed? Message me! I missed you!”
Zoe has not been on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show since briefly returning to host on August 8 following a summer break.
The first song Zoe played to mark her return was “September,” the 1987 hit by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, which she joked had arrived a few days late due to its famous lyric “Do you remember the night of September 21st?”
Zoe Ball has returned to her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show after a six-week absence and asked her listeners “What have I missed?”
After the song, Zoe joked that she hadn’t been to Türkiye to undergo facial modification surgery during her time off air.
Zoe continued to read messages from people who had texted her to tell her what she had missed while she was away from her hosting job.
Zoe admitted it was a bit of a dangerous journey in her “little MINI” due to the heavy rain that hit London overnight.
On Sunday, Zoe Ball broke her silence following her six-week absence from BBC Radio 2, taking to social media to confirm she will be returning to her flagship show on Monday.
She told fans: ‘We’ll be back for breakfast tomorrow morning at 6:30.’ She added: ‘@realscottmills 7 @djspoony thanks for doing the mega shifts.’
Zoe shared an Instagram reel of Disco Bambino’s song Odeon (Holdin’ On) while adding the words ‘Bring it’ to the post and tagging her Breakfast Show crew.
The announcer, Who is he? BBCThe highest-paid female star earns £950,000 a year. has been absent from his prime-time radio slot since August 8 and his fans are increasingly concerned.
Zoe was told to “take all the time she needed” after the death of her beloved mother.
On Sunday, Zoe Ball broke her silence following her six-week absence from BBC Radio 2 and took to social media to confirm she will return to her flagship show on Monday.
But the mystery surrounding Zoe’s return continues to deepen amid her unexplained absence, as it is revealed that she sold her country home.
The Mail can reveal that Zoe has moved house in recent weeks, selling her beautiful cottage in the idyllic Sussex village of Newick, which she bought for £2,025,000 in August 2020.
She is believed to have left his life in August and moved into a terraced house between Brighton and Hove, close to her ex-husband DJ Norman Cook, the father of her two children, from whom she separated in 2016. They divorced in 2020.
Some are suggesting the move is a “fresh start” for Zoe, who has been single since splitting from model Michael Reed last year after five-and-a-half years together.
“Zoe obviously grew tired of country life and wanted to move somewhere a little more lively,” said a source with knowledge of her new home.
‘She is really engrossed in making her house exactly the way she wants it and is happy to order furniture and buy little things to make it perfect.’
In fact, Zoe was spotted at Brighton’s Churchill Square shopping centre on Wednesday, with one onlooker describing their surprise at seeing her.
“Everyone was wondering where I had been and then there I was, right before my eyes,” they said.
Despite a series of concerned messages from fans online, Scott opened the Zoe show last week without mentioning his absent colleague.
He previously sent a message of support to the star as he replaced her on August 12, telling listeners he was unexpectedly taking over the role.
“If you set your alarm every morning to go off at 6:30 a.m. and Zoe usually goes off, please don’t panic. You haven’t overslept,” she told listeners, adding that she would be in an awkward situation for a while.
“If you’ve gotten in touch this morning, Scott Mills will be filling in for Zoe for the next few weeks. Sending all my love to you Zoe, as does the team,” he said.
It comes as Zoe’s son, Woody Cook. revealed he is “happy to see her smile in difficult times” after she was pictured being comforted by her ex-husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, outside a cafe in Hove on Thursday.
In March, Zoe said she would be taking time off to care for her mother Julia Peckham, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (pictured with her mother Julia in 2010).
As concern grows over her unexplained absence, Woody, 23, who Zoe shares with Fatboy Slim, has broken his silence over her absence.
In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, he told: “My mum and I like to keep our private lives to ourselves but I have to say I’ve recently stepped up and spent a lot more time with her as she’s always been there when I’ve been through tough times. It’s nice to see her smile.”
Sources close to the star told MailOnline that the BBC has given her “all the time she needs”, and that she acted similarly when she took time off in March to care for her ailing mother, Julia Peckham, who died of cancer a month later.
When Zoe was seen for the first time in weeks, BBC Her bosses are said to be doing “everything they can” to help her return to work when she is ready.
This comes as Zoe’s son Woody Cook revealed he is “glad to see her smile through tough times” after she was pictured being comforted by her ex-husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim.
Before leaving her show in August, the star enjoyed a holiday in Ibiza with her son Woody and daughter Nelly and attended Brighton Pride.
He then returned to work for three days before leaving the show.
The BBC has offered no explanation for his absence, except that a spokeswoman said last week that he would return later this month.
Zoe has also been unusually quiet on social media, with her last Instagram post being posted on August 5.
In March, Zoe said she would be taking time off to care for her mother, Julia Peckham, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
She died in April and the presenter returned to work on May 13. Last year, Ball took three weeks off to Corfu to present Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream for rival ITV show.
Zoe has overcome a series of tragedies and heartbreaks which led to her stepping away from Radio 2 to focus on her family earlier this year.
Zoe’s mother Julia died in April and the presenter returned to work on May 13.
In the tribute posted on Instagram (pictured), Zoe told her fans she feels “heartbroken.”
The BBC icon, 53, announced in April that his mother Julia had died after a battle with pancreatic cancer following her diagnosis just a month earlier.
Posting a tribute to her mother on social media, she said: ‘Sleep well dear mum.
“Thank you for teaching us to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and for teaching us that even on the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest gift. Without you we feel helpless, but we will hold each other tight.”
It is the latest in a series of tragedies the beloved Radio 2 presenter has had to endure.
Her five-and-a-half-year relationship with Michael Reed recently ended, and seven years ago her partner Billy Yates took his own life in May 2017.
Mr Yates’ death came after the breakdown of Ms Ball’s 18-year marriage to DJ Fatboy Slim, whose real name was Normal Cook.
