Zoe Ball has announced on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds that she has decided to step down as presenter of the weekday Radio 2 Breakfast Show in December.
After six years on the programme, Zoe, 53, said that she has finally had enough of the 4am alarm calls and is hoping to lead a slower and more relaxed pace of life, and to spend more time with her family.
She told listeners of her decision just after 8am this morning, saying she will be staying with Radio 2 but details of her new show won’t be revealed until the New Year. Her replacement will be announced in the next hour, she said.
Sharing the shock announcement live on air, Zoe said: "After six incredible years on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it’s time for me to step away from the very early mornings and focus on family. It’s been a privilege.
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PA)"I think the world of you listeners and I’m grateful to my bosses here for their support, especially this year. Huge thanks go to my awesome team on the show, Tina, Mike and Richie, and of course our listeners, with whom I’ve shared some of life’s highs and lows, the good, the bad and the daft times.
"My last show will be on Friday December 20, just in time for Christmas with plenty of fun and shenanigans. While I’m stepping away from the Breakfast Show, I’m not disappearing entirely – I’ll still be a part of the Radio 2 family, with more news in the New Year. I’m excited to embrace my next chapter, including being a mum in the mornings, and I can’t wait to tune in on the school run."
Thanking her listeners she said: "We got through the lockdown together didn’t we? We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, it’s been a lot of laughter and I am going to miss you cats." Zoe said she would miss her whole team who have “become like family to me”.
She added: “I won’t miss the 4am alarm call, if I’m completely honest. My last breakfast show will be on 20th December then it’s high kicks all the way to Christmas. I”m got going to be a stranger I’m staying with the Radio 2 crew, and I’ll have more news on that in the New Year."
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(Image: BBC))Thanking her bosses, she said they had always been so supportive “particularly this year” - a reference to the sad death of her mother Julia, which meant she took extended leave to cope with her grief.
Zoe first joined BBC Radio in October 1997 as the co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with co-presenter Kevin Greening. From October 1998 to March 2000, Zoe hosted the programme solo, the first woman to do so.
She joined Radio 2 in 2006, presenting documentaries and programmes around the schedule. From 2009 to 2012, Zoe presented the Saturday early morning breakfast show, returning permanently to Radio 2 in 2017 as the host of the Saturday afternoon show (3-6pm).
In 2018, Zoe undertook The Hardest Ride Home Challenge for Sport Relief in 2018, which saw her cycle from Blackpool, the place of her birth, to her beloved home town of Brighton across five days to raise over £1.1m for Sport Relief.
In January 2019, Zoe became the first woman to present the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking over from Chris Evans. During her time at Radio 2, Zoe has interviewed some of the world's most popular entertainers, including Sir Michael Caine, Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Hugh Grant, Chris Hemsworth and Kylie Minogue.
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