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Zoe Ball Says Grief Triggered 'Brutal' Breakdown That Forced Her Off Work

Her first detailed account comes on her Dig It podcast after stepping away from Radio 2’s breakfast slot to focus on family.

Overview

  • Ball said she was "on the floor in the kitchen" unable to move and had to stop working a few months after her mother Julia died in April 2024.
  • She described an "amazing doctor" arriving with coffee and bagels and helping her access support, adding she still finds some days "brutal."
  • The presenter took six weeks off in 2024 then left the weekday show in December after six years, with Scott Mills taking over in January.
  • She has since returned to Radio 2 at weekends and co-hosts Dig It with Jo Whiley, which drew more than one million downloads in its first month.
  • In a separate interview, Ball reflected on 1990s lads’ mag shoots, saying she was presented with "racks of tiny clothes," told to "straddle a chair," and felt conditioned not to refuse.