Zoe Ball has spoken candidly about the breakdown she suffered following the death of her mother Julia, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in April 2024.
The broadcaster, 54, stepped away from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show after the loss and later announced she would leave the role permanently at the end of the year, with Scott Mills taking over the flagship slot.
Speaking on her BBC podcast Dig It with Jo Whiley, Ball recalled the devastating impact of her grief.
“I couldn’t work. I was on the floor in the kitchen. I couldn’t, I couldn’t move,” she admitted.
“I had a proper emotional breakdown, you know, I haven’t really talked about it actually. But it was, yeah, it was brutal. I had an amazing doctor who turned up at my door with coffee and bagels and said, ‘So, we need to get you some help,’ and he was wonderful.”
It marks one of the first times Ball has opened up in such detail about her mother’s passing.
She also admitted that navigating Julia’s first birthday after her death proved to be one of the hardest moments in her grief.
“It’s a year and a bit since we lost Mum, and I found her birthday this year, the toughest, the toughest, you know, a whole year later,” she explained.
“That was brutal. It was a week of absolute weeping, I still get quite emotional sort of talking about mum, even now.”
Ball reflected on the importance of leaning on family during bereavement, adding: “I think leaning on your loved ones is the best thing and also just not being afraid to weep. There’s a lot of crying, there’s a lot of pain that has to come out.”
After opening up about her grief, Ball was inundated with support from friends after she shared the podcast clip on social media.
Scott Mills, who filled in for Ball during that difficult time, commented: “Love you Zo so much xx”.
Pal Gaby Roslin also penned: “I love you so dearly Zo” while both her former Breakfast Show colleague Richie Anderson and Stacey Dooley shared several red-heart emojis.
Before her departure, Ball was one of the BBC’s highest-paid female presenters, earning a reported £950,000 a year.
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