Zoe Ball facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zoe Ball
Ball in 2014
Born	Zoe Louise Ball (1970-11-23) 23 November 1970 (age 54) Blackpool, Lancashire, England
Occupation	Presenter, broadcaster
Years active	1993–Present
Employer	BBC
Spouse(s)	Fatboy Slim ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2020)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Johnny Ball (father)

Zoe Louise Ball, born on November 23, 1970, is a well-known British presenter and broadcaster. She made history as the first female host of the breakfast shows on both BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. In 2024, she was one of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC.

In 2018, Zoe was announced as the new host for The Radio 2 Breakfast Show. She took over from Chris Evans in January 2019 and continued until December 2024.

Before that, Zoe presented the children's show Live & Kicking with Jamie Theakston from 1996 to 1999. In 2005, she competed in the third series of Strictly Come Dancing. Later, in 2011, she became the host of Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, a spin-off show on BBC Two, a role she held until 2021. She also hosted the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour in 2011 and 2015.

Zoe Ball's Early Life and Education

Zoe Ball was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. She grew up in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire. Her father is the famous children's TV presenter Johnny Ball. Her mother is Julia Anderson. Her parents divorced when Zoe was two years old.

Zoe attended Heston Junior School from 1975 to 1978. Her family then moved to Farnham Common. She went to Farnham Common First School and Farnham Common Middle School. Later, she studied at Holy Cross Convent School and Amersham College of Art and Technology.

She also trained as an actress at the Young Theatre in Beaconsfield. Zoe's very first TV appearance was as a child. She was in the studio audience of Saturday Superstore, a children's show from the 1980s, where her father was a guest.

Zoe Ball's Exciting Career

Television Adventures

Zoe Ball started her television journey as a presenter on Playdays, a show for young children.

She worked behind the scenes at Granada Television. She was a researcher for Cool Cube, a children's show that aired from 1990 to 1994.

From 1994 to 1996, Zoe presented SMart with Mark Speight and Jay Burridge. In 1995, she hosted the first series of Fully Booked. She was also a regular presenter on Top of the Pops from 1996 to 1998.

In 1996, Zoe co-hosted Live & Kicking on BBC One. This was a popular Saturday morning children's program, which she presented with Jamie Theakston. She also co-hosted The Priory on Channel 4.

Zoe has presented many other shows. These include The Big Breakfast on Channel 4. She co-hosted the 2002 Brit Awards with Frank Skinner. In 2005, she co-hosted Strictly Dance Fever on the BBC.

She also presented Soapstar Superstar in 2007. This was a talent show on ITV. In the same year, she hosted Grease Is the Word, another ITV talent search.

In 2009, Zoe and Jamie Theakston presented Britain's Best Brain on Channel 5. She has also been a guest presenter on The One Show.

In 2013, Zoe hosted Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor. During this special show, she announced Peter Capaldi as the new Twelfth Doctor. She also interviewed him for the first time in this role.

In November 2013, Zoe co-hosted the BBC One Children in Need telethon. In 2014, she presented The Voice: Louder on Two, a spin-off from The Voice UK.

In 2015, Zoe hosted EastEnders: Backstage Live. She also co-presented the BBC Young Dancer competition with Darcey Bussell.

Zoe has narrated several ITV specials, like The Nation's Favourite '70s Number One. In 2016, she co-presented Can't Touch This on BBC One.

In 2017, Zoe co-presented The Big Family Cooking Showdown with Nadiya Hussain. Since 2020, she has appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox with her son, Woody Fred Cook.

In 2021, Zoe appeared on The Masked Dancer as Llama. She was unmasked in Episode 5. In 2023, she appeared as herself in the BBC One comedy Queen of Oz. In 2024, she was a panellist on Taskmaster.

Strictly Come Dancing and It Takes Two

In October 2005, Zoe Ball was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing. She danced with professional partner Ian Waite. They finished in third place. They even scored 38 out of 40 for three dances!

In 2011, Zoe took over from Claudia Winkleman as the host of Strictly Come Dancing's sister show, It Takes Two. This show airs every weekday on BBC Two. In 2014, Zoe even co-hosted the main Strictly Come Dancing show. On May 17, 2021, Zoe announced she was leaving It Takes Two after 10 years.

Radio Adventures

Zoe Ball first started her career in radio. In October 1997, she became a co-host of Radio 1 Breakfast on BBC Radio 1 with Kevin Greening. She then became the only host, making her the first female DJ to lead the show.

Zoe left BBC Radio 1 in March 2000. Her last show was on March 10, 2000, and Sara Cox took over from her.

In 2002, Zoe returned to radio at London station Xfm. She presented the weekday drivetime show until December 2003. In 2004, she hosted a Friday evening music show for the station. She left Xfm at the end of 2004.

In September 2007, she returned to BBC Radio. She co-hosted a show with Sara Cox to celebrate 40 years of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2.

From 2006, she often filled in for other presenters on BBC Radio 2. She hosted special documentaries and covered for Dermot O'Leary.

Zoe Ball in 2009

In 2009, Zoe became the regular relief presenter for Ken Bruce's mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2. She also started hosting the Saturday breakfast show from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. Her last show in this slot was on January 28, 2012.

Zoe often covered The Radio 2 Breakfast Show for Chris Evans.

From March 4, 2017, to December 22, 2018, Zoe returned to Radio 2 full-time. She presented the Saturday afternoon slot from 3–6 p.m.

On October 3, 2018, Chris Evans announced that Zoe would be the new host of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show. She started this role on January 14, 2019. Rylan Clark took over her Saturday afternoon slot.

In August 2024, the BBC confirmed Zoe Ball was one of their highest-paid presenters. On September 23, 2024, Zoe announced she was taking a break from the show. On November 19, she announced she would stop presenting the Breakfast Show from December 20, but would continue working for the station.

Zoe Ball's Personal Life and Charity Work

While working at BBC Radio 1, Zoe Ball started a relationship with DJ and musician Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim. They got married in August 1999. They have a son named Woody Fred Cook, born in 2000, and a daughter named Nelly, born in 2010. They announced their separation in 2016 and later divorced in 2020.

From 2017 to 2023, Zoe was in a relationship with fashion model and carpenter Michael Reed.

Charity Work

In 2014, Zoe supported the Love Mum campaign by Marks & Spencer and Oxfam.

In March 2018, Zoe took on the 'Hardest Ride Home' challenge. She cycled from Blackpool to Brighton to raise money for Sport Relief and mental health awareness. She cycled for five days, starting on March 5. Highlights of her journey were shown in a documentary on March 21, 2018, on BBC One. She raised an amazing £1,198,012 for charity.

Filmography

Radio

Television

See also

In Spanish: Zoe Ball para niños