Zoe Ball’s dad Johnny has accused the BBC of ‘ageism’ following her exit from Radio 2. She left the Breakfast Show after six years and returned later in a different slot but left after seven months
Zoe Ball’s dad Johnny has accused the BBC of ‘ageism’ after his daughter’s exit from Radio 2.
The radio star and presenter left the station’s Breakfast Show after nearly six years at the helm. At the time, she was believed to be earning £950,000. Following her exit from the show, she returned in a different slot.
She went on to present an afternoon Saturday slot in May 2025 but after seven months, she handed the show over to Emma Willis but continued to present special shows for the broadcaster.
Zoe’s dad Johnny – who also worked for the BBC – has now claimed that Zoe’s age had an impact on her exit, he shared: “I did Play School for 17 years, I wrote nearly all of Play Away then I did Think Of A Number and Think Again.
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“I loved every minute of it. But what happens when you are 50 at the BBC? Gone! Zoe was 54. Gone! You cannot believe it because we gave so much to the BBC.”
The Mirror has contacted the BBC for comment.
Zoe has also talked openly about how she missed out on the Strictly role and how it impacted her thoughts about work. It was later confirmed Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe and Johannes Radebe as the new host.
Speaking at the Dorchester Literary Event, Johnny gave his verdict on the new presenters, adding: “Josh is not a Bruce Forsyth. He is a lovely bloke and I have met him a couple of times but he is not a domineering comedian as some comedians like Bruce Forsyth were. When I did Strictly, and I only did three shows.
“On each show I gave Brucie a joke and he used them and he said to me ‘I have got a writer here and he does b****r all so thanks very much’. And he said to me ‘You should never have gone out’ but that’s another story.”
Zoe had previously shared how she had to think about work once she realised she didn’t bag the Strictly role.
Speaking about her preparations for the “scary” next chapter of her career, she said: “I’m so excited. You know how it’s been, I lost my mum and I was like, ‘I want to take some time to be there for my girl’ because I’ve always worked and never been around.
“And, as I’ve sort of said on the podcast actually, I’ve been around and she’s a bit like, ‘What are you still doing here?’ And she’s finished her GCSEs now, she’s loving her freedom and I think also when the Strictly thing didn’t happen as well, I was a bit like, ‘Right, what am I going to do?’ I mean that was a long shot but having not worked, you suddenly start thinking, ‘Okay yeah I do need to go to work.'”
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