BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball shared guidance with a podcast listener, drawing on her own experiences navigating “tricky” relationships in the past
Radio presenter Zoe Ball has candidly discussed the difficulties of navigating break-ups and bringing a new romantic interest into her children’s lives. The broadcaster made light of her own very public divorce, acknowledging she’s all too familiar with such circumstances.
The 55-year-old was married to Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim between 1999 and 2016, and they share two children together, Woody and Nelly Ball. During the latest instalment of her podcast Dig It, a listener sought guidance from Zoe and co-host Jo Whiley about how to handle introducing a new partner to her kids after a marriage breakdown.
The unnamed caller revealed she’d walked away from her 18-year marriage about a year and a half ago after feeling “desperately unhappy”. She said she has since begun seeing someone new, though was anxious about telling her sons, who blamed her for the split.
After Jo attempted to comfort the listener by suggesting her boys would come to terms with things eventually, she turned to Zoe, saying: “This is something you’ve been through more than I have.”
Zoe responded: “Well, yes I have and quite a few times,” before making a light-hearted quip about her children’s response to her dating life: “Another one?! as my kids would say, just kidding.”
She continued: “But firstly, yes it is so hard to leave a relationship when you know it’s the right thing to do. It’s just so difficult, you feel awful for the person you’ve left, you feel terrible for breaking up a family, you feel guilty for your family, it is a lot.
“It does take such bravery but when you’re out and the dust starts to settle, you realise it was exactly what you needed to do. And hopefully as your kids get older you can talk to them a little bit more about why that happened.”
She continued: “Sometimes you might not want to talk to them about that, they might not want to hear it.
“I think sometimes it takes for them to be adults themselves and be in relationships to realise how difficult it is, really. But I do understand that guilt that you probably have in your heart.”
Following her separation from Norman, the TV star embarked on a relationship with Billy Yates, who heartbreakingly took his own life just months after they got together. She subsequently found happiness with Michael Reed, though they parted ways in 2023 after five years together.
The presenter is now in a relationship with Mathieu Weekes, who she refers to as ‘The lodger’ on her podcast. Offering guidance on bringing a new partner into family life, Zoe admitted it’s “a tricky” situation, before suggesting that those who get into a new relationship should enjoy it privately first.
“I think don’t be keen to do it so soon,” she cautioned. “You can get carried away with the whole thing.”
Drawing from personal experience, she added: “In the past I’ve rushed that,” before confessing it proved “all a bit much” for everyone concerned.
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