Zoe Ball's "real" reason for stepping down from her BBC Radio 2 show has been unveiled.
The longtime broadcaster, 53, announced on Tuesday (November 19) that she would be bidding her show goodbye after six years at the helm of her breakfast show. It came after Zoe had gone missing from her show for six weeks, before returning - and not addressing the reasons why.
When Gogglebox star Zoe greeted listeners on her show after her prolonged break, she seemed cheery and upbeat as she spoke to BBC Radio 2 listeners: "Morning gorgeous people! It's me Zoe, the happy wanderer; I've wandered back."
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However, the positivity did not last for long as Zoe announced her departure just weeks after making her return to the show. In the emotional address to her audience, Zoe explained that she needed to "step away from the very early mornings and focus on family".
Now, a source at the BBC has told Daily Mail that she does not want to miss out on vital family moments for the sake of work. When she started at her role back in 2018, son Woody was 18 and daughter Nelly was nine - causing her to miss out some vital milestones in her children's lives.
With Nelly now aged 14, the insider said: "She simply wants to live differently, which means having more of a family life." The source also added that she was not pushed out of the show by BBC bosses.
"In the end, this was completely her decision," the unnamed source explained. "She came to [the BBC] in September after she had had a break to think about her life and said: 'I'm done.'"
Zoe would temporarily remain in her role whilst the BBC looked for a permanent replacement for her. Names that were thrown out by bosses as a potential successor included fan favourites Vernon Kay and Scott Mills, who would eventually be chosen to take over her slot.
Her shift in lifestyle is said to have come following the death of her beloved mum Julia, who passed away in April after battling an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. Despite having their tiffs and spats, Zoe and mum Julia had become incredibly close in recent years, with her death coming as a crushing blow.
In a touching tribute to her mum on Instagram, Zoe sobbed as she confirmed Julia had passed away. "Sleep tight dear Mama," she wrote, "thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy. And how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts."
Zoe was able to carry on for four months after Julia's death, but sources said that she reached her breaking point and needed to take a break, which the BBC allowed. Since then, the presenter has been spending a lot of time with her loved ones, with former The Circle star Woody, now aged 23, saying he is stepping up to support his doting mum during these "tough times".
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