Sad truth behind Zoe Ball's shock BBC Radio 2 departure 'revealed' despite £950k salary

BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball caused quite the stir amongst her audience when recently she revealed her resignation from presenting duties after a six-year tenure.

The broadcaster, 53, expressed her profound appreciation for the support received since announcing her departure from the Breakfast Show, stating she is "really touched" by fans' kind messages.

Zoe, who inherited Chris Evans's morning spot in 2019, has decided to "focus on family". She shared her excitement for Scott Mills, who will be taking over her role.

With plans to wrap up next month, Zoe pointed out the necessity to "step away from the very early mornings and focus on family", with the end of her time set for December 20.

As Scott Mills prepares to transition from his afternoon slot to the breakfast show starting January, Ball conveyed gratitude through Instagram: "Really touched, thanks for the messages, thrilled for my mates Scott, Trevor, Spoony and Sophie."

Celebrated TV personality Rylan Clark paid tribute to Zoe, crediting her as "being the best wake-up for the past six years" and celebrated Scott Mills in his own Instagram stories: "Scott, I've never been more happy for someone. If you grazed your knee you would bleed radio. I know how much this means to you and I'm so so proud of you".

Zoe Ball was all smiles as she posed with her colleague Mills outside New Broadcasting House, expressing her delight to the press. "It has all turned out nicely," she remarked happily.

"I'm really chuffed for my mate and really excited about it."

During her Tuesday radio show, Zoe touched the hearts of her listeners when she said, "You know I think the world of you all, listeners, and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you, to go through life's little ups and downs, we got through the lockdown together, didn't we? ""We've shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there's been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats."

Despite her affection for the role, Zoe couldn't help but comment on the early mornings: "But I won't miss the 4am alarm call, if I'm completely honest."

The surprise news of Zoe's exit from BBC Radio 2 follows a mysterious six-week absence earlier in the year, which had left fans worried. Upon her return, Zoe cheerfully announced "I'm back! " and told her audience she was no longer a 'wanderer'.

Yet, sources now suggest that Zoe was concealing the discontent that led to her extended time off air.

Insiders have suggested that Zoe Ball's departure from her Radio 2 role is motivated by a wish to spend more time with her children, Woody, 23, and Nellie, 14, particularly after the loss of her mother earlier this year. "She simply wants to live differently, which means having more of a family life," an insider revealed to Mail Online, following Zoe's own admission that she's tired of the early morning starts after six years on the show.

The death of her mother Julia earlier in the year is said to be the turning point for Zoe's reassessment of her work-life balance. Regarding her decision to step down from BBC Radio 2 after half a decade, a source disclosed: "In the end, this was completely her decision. She came to them [the BBC] in September after she had had a break to think about her life and said: 'I'm done.' The BBC... wanted a bit of time to put everything in place, which they were able to do. They looked at who might do it... I think they only seriously considered Vernon Kay and Scott Mills."

Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.