Zoe Ball reveals she struggled with an uncomfortable health issue due to early-morning BBC Radio 2 show

Zoe Ball has revealed she’s stepping down from one of the most sought-after roles in radio: “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,” she told listeners on Tuesday morning.

Zoe mentioned that she will be staying with the BBC, but there will be one major benefit to stepping away from the early-morning time slot.

On the Table Manners podcast, Zoe shared that she wakes up around 5am to present her show, which has a negative impact on her body clock.

The 53-year-old presenter admitted that, like many shift workers, she struggles to keep her bowels regular, reports the Gloucestershire Live.

However, she quickly adds that this is the only downside to being on the Breakfast Show: “I love my job. I've always loved it. I love being a buffoon and dancing around,” Zoe said. “And also my team. They are such a laugh... they're all half my age. Their parents are all younger than me.”

She explains that they meet in the office before 6am every morning, drinking “really bad” BBC coffee and exchanging “scandals and gossip” until it's time for the show to start.

“I'm always gobsmacked how many people are up at that time of day,” she says. “So many people are up. So really, you're paid to play some tunes and chat a bit of nonsense... my bowels might not work and I might be a bit grumpy about four o'clock. I need a nap. But it's just a joy and I love it.”

She says she often takes a mid-afternoon nap but finds it challenging to go to bed before her kids. Admitting that, throughout the week, she is often very tired: "I'm always slightly grumpy and a bit twitchy.”

“But then in the evening,” she adds, “I like to see a bit of The One Show or I like to listen to Joe Wiley because she plays brilliant music. And then if I'm still listening during Trevor Nelson's show, then I'm in trouble because then it's really, then it's well late!”

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Zoe, who had previously hosted Radio One’s early morning show, took over Radio 2’s flagship breakfast show in January 2019 after Chris Evans moved to Virgin Radio. She stepped away from hosting her show over the summer for personal reasons but returned in September.

The role made her the BBC's highest-paid female presenter in 2023-24, with a salary of approximately £950,000, placing her second on the list of top-earning talent, just behind Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s latest annual report.

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