Zoe, 55, is exploring her heritage in BBC One show Who Do You Think You Are? to try and find out more about her mum and her mum’s family.
When Zoe Ball’s mum Julia died of pancreatic cancer in 2024, it left the bubbly DJ heartbroken and reopened the trauma of her fractured childhood.
Zoe’s parents divorced when she was just a toddler, and it was decided she would live with her father, TV presenter Johnny Ball. Sadly she became estranged from her mum until she was 18.
Now Zoe, 55, is exploring her heritage in BBC One show Who Do You Think You Are? to try and find out more about her mum and her mum’s family.
“I feel like it’s even more important now,” says Zoe. “I’m really sad she’s not here to learn these things. But wherever she is she’s with me here in my heart.”
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Despite missing her mother, Zoe had a mainly happy childhood with her father Johnny, step-mum Dianne and her two half-brothers Nick and Dan, and the family remain close now. Johnny appears on the show and helps Zoe on her journey into her ancestry.
However, Zoe admits she knows very little about her mum’s upbringing. “They both met new partners. It was decided at some point I would stay with my dad,” explains Zoe.
“It was pretty tough. I didn’t see my mum for about 14 years, which was a long time not to see your mum, and when we did connect again when I was 18 there was a lot of making up to do.”
Zoe does know one thing about her mother’s family; her grandmother had mental health difficulties. “I don’t remember meeting my mum’s mum,” she says.
“Her name was Margaret but everyone called her Peg. For a time she was in what would have been called an asylum in those days because she struggled with her mental health. Families are fascinating because there are stories families tell and there are stories that get hushed up.”
Zoe is the first female DJ to have presented both the Radio 1 Breakfast Show and the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.
Around 7 million people tuned into her daily breakfast show but grieving her mum’s death, Zoe quit the role and broadcast her final show in December 2024, so she could spend more time with her children Woody, 25, and Nelly, 16, whose dad is Zoe’s ex-husband, DJ Norman Cook – aka Fatboy Slim.
“We lost my mum last year and it really made me step back and look at the bigger picture and reevaluate what’s important in my life,” explains Zoe, who filmed the show before her daughter’s 16th birthday.
“Nelly my daughter is 15 and I just want to be Mum to her before she’s off in the big wide world like her brother Woody.”
Zoe is also very keen to understand more about her genetic make-up – as are her children. “My kids are really keen to know if we are Brits through and through or is there any Viking or any pirate?” laughs Zoe. “We sort of joke that we come from a line of wrong ‘uns.”
When Zoe quit the Breakfast Show she was being paid almost £1 million a year. In contrast, her mum’s family struggled with poverty. “Going on this journey has really allowed me to feel closer to my mum’s side of the family,” says Zoe. “I’m really glad I got to learn more about where they came from.”
Zoe treasures her relationship with her father Johnny, who is now 87 and still lives in the Buckinghamshire family home where Zoe grew up.
Famous for his roles on shows such as Play School and Think Of A Number , Johnny has been married to his second wife Dianne for more than 50 years.
As well as looking into her mum’s past, Zoe also researches Johnny’s side of the family, examining old photos and family mementos.
“My dad actually helped me piece together some of my family history at the beginning of this journey,” says Zoe. “It was really special to be able to learn more about our family together.”
In the show, Zoe creates a family tree taking her from Scotland to Cornwall. While she’s rocked by the tragedies her ancestors faced, she’s also humbled by their resilience.
“It was lovely to take the bits and pieces of information he’d given me and come back with a whole family tree stretching from Scotland to Cornwall, along with stories of just how resilient some of our ancestors were,” she says.
“I’ll carry this experience with me for the rest of my life, it’s been an incredibly fulfilling journey, and one I’ll never forget.”
Zoe’s story kicks off the new series but other celebs taking part include actor Adeel Akhtar, Strictly’s Amy Dowden, actress Dame Harriet Walter, TV personality Joe Swash, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Doctor Who’s Ruth Madeley and actor Toby Jones.
Viewers will be especially captivated when Dame Harriet discovers a wartime spy in her family’s past and Joe travels to Italy to uncover a dramatic family tale starring outlaws and criminals.
Who Do You Think You Are? airs on Tuesday 26 May, 9pm, BBC One
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