Zoe Ball steps out for low-key shopping trip after returning to Radio 2 following mysterious six week absence

Zoe Ball stepped out for a low-key shopping trip after returning to Radio 2 on Monday morning following a mysterious six week absence.

The presenter, 53, returned to air with business as usual as she offered her fans a lively welcome back and asked listeners ‘what have I missed?’.

And after a successful first show, the BBC star looked relaxed as she enjoyed some retail therapy on Marylebone High Street and sported a purple plaid shirt and jeans. 

Spreading positivity on first show back, Zoe paid tribute to both Jamie Theakston and Lauren Laverne following their cancer battles. 

The star ‘sent on the love she has received’ to the pair as she wished them well during their treatment. 

The presenter, 53, returned to air with business as usual as she offered her fans a lively welcome back and asked listeners ‘what have I missed?’

She told listeners: ‘I must say while we are sending some love, our breakfast friend Laura Laverne our mate at six music is currently going through some cancer treatment. 

‘She is doing OK but just wanted to send my love out to her.’

Zoe also paid tribute to her old colleague Jamie as she added: ‘And my dear live and kicking Priory mate, Jamie Theakston who is also having some treatment for cancer at the moment.

‘He is going to be OK and he is doing well. Sending so much love to them. So a lot of the love I got to me I am sending back to them.’

Jamie revealed last week that he is currently undergoing treatment for stage 1 laryngeal cancer. 

Meanwhile Lauren told fans last month that she was recovering from the illness after it was picked up ‘unexpectedly’ during a screening test. 

Zoe has had her own personal experience with cancer this year after her mum Julia Peckham died of pancreatic cancer back in April. 

The star was told to ‘take all the time she needs’ following the death of her beloved mother, but Zoe returned work on May 13.

And after a successful first show, the BBC star looked relaxed as she enjoyed some retail therapy on Marylebone High Street and sported a purple plaid shirt and jeans

She completed her outfit with a pair of green trainers and carried a tote bag over her shoulder

Spreading positivity on first show back, Zoe paid tribute to both Jamie Theakston and Lauren Laverne following their cancer battles

She was back on air on Monday morning 

Jamie revealed last week that he is currently undergoing treatment for stage 1 laryngeal cancer

On Sunday, Zoe Ball broke her silence after her six week absence from BBC Radio 2, taking to social media to confirm she will return to her flagship show on Monday

After her recent six week absence, Zoe extended her thanks to her colleague and radio presenter Scott Mills for covering her show as she added: ‘Just wanted to say a thank you to Scott for looking after the show and of course Spoony for looking after Scott’s show. 

‘He was supposed to be going on holiday DJing around the world he had to change all his plans so thank you boys and thank you everyone for being so supportive. 

‘Lots of you sent so many messages from listeners they meant the world so I thank you to all your gorgeous ones.’

Zoe confirmed on Sunday that she would resume her role as host of the morning programme following a mysterious absence.

She began: ‘Hello happy wanderers, I’ve wandered back’ and telling them she hopes they enjoyed their ‘Brat summer’.

The star continued: ‘Morning gorgeous people it’s me Zoe the happy wanderer. I’ve wandered back. How was your Brat summer? Was it marvellous? 

‘We did that in the 90s it was called something different then. I hope you’ve been enjoying some of the gorgeous sunsets over the last few weeks. It’s a tad soggy our end this morning. Take it easy out on the road’.

Thanking Scott she said: ‘Thank you Scott Mills for looking after the show for the week – more on that later. What have I missed? Text me! Missed ya!’ 

After a quick news segment, she welcomed any new listeners as she joked: ‘It’s me Zo! You may remember me from the 90s, yeah I’m back.’ 

Zoe not been on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show since she briefly returned to hosting on August 8, following a summer break.

The first song Zoe played to mark her return was 1987 hit September by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, which she joked had come a few days late due to its famous lyrics ‘do you remember, the 21st night of September?’.

After the track, Zoe quipped that she hadn’t been to Turkey for a ‘new face and teeth’ during her time off, but newsreader Tina Daheley told her ‘you do look great though.’

Zoe said she had ‘so much gossip’ to catch up on, but joked some of that would have to be reserved for off-air conversations with her fellow presenters. 

The star went on to read out messages from listeners who had text to fill her in on what she had missed while away from her hosting job.

As one listener phoned in to request a song, they welcomed Zoe back as she replied: ‘Ah thank you it is lovely to be back.

‘And so nice of Scott to cover, he is a lovely boy, he used to cover for me back in 90s for slightly different circumstances but he will be back later today.’

Zoe admitted it was a bit of a treacherous drive in her ‘little MINI’ due to the heavy rain that had hit London overnight.

On Sunday, Zoe Ball broke her silence after her six week absence from BBC Radio 2, taking to social media to confirm she will return to her flagship show on Monday.

She told fans: ‘Back to breakfast tomorrow morning 6.30.’ She added: ‘@realscottmills 7 @djspoony thanks for putting in the mega shifts.’

Zoe shared an Instagram reel of Disco Bambino’s track Odeon (Holdin’ On) as she added the words ‘Bring it’ to the post and tagged her Breakfast Show team.

The broadcaster, who is the BBC’s highest paid female star earning £950,000-a-year, has been absent from her primetime radio slot since August 8 with fans growing increasingly concerned.

Zoe was told to ‘take all the time she needs’ following her mother’s death, but the mystery surrounding Zoe’s return continued to deepen last week amid her unexplained absence, as it’s emerged that she’s sold her countryside home.

The Mail revealed that Zoe has moved house in recent weeks, selling her ­beautiful countryside home in the idyllic Sussex village of Newick which she bought for £2,025,000 in August 2020.

She is understood to have upped sticks in August and moved to a townhouse between Brighton and Hove, close to her ex-husband DJ Norman Cook, the father of her two children, from whom she separated in 2016. They divorced in 2020.

Some suggest that the change is a ‘new start’ for Zoe, who has been single since she split from model Michael Reed last year after five-and-a-half years together.

‘Zoe obviously got fed up with life in the country and wanted to move to somewhere a bit more lively,’ said a source with ­knowledge of her new home.

‘She has become really engrossed in making her house just as she wants it and has been happily ordering furniture and buying bits and bobs to make it perfect.’

Indeed, Zoe was spotted at Brighton’s Churchill Square shopping centre on Wednesday, with one onlooker describing their surprise at seeing her.

‘Everyone has been wondering where she has been and then there she was, right in front of my eyes,’ they said.

Despite a flurry of concerned messages online from fans, Scott opened Zoe’s show last week with no mention of his absent colleague.

He previously sent a message of support to the star while standing in for her on August 12, telling listeners that he was unexpectedly taking over. 

‘If you set your alarm every morning to go off at 6:30am and normally Zoe comes on, please do not freak out. You have not overslept,’ he told listeners, adding that he would be in the hot seat for a while.

‘If you’ve just put us on this morning, it’s Scott Mills in for Zoe for the next few weeks. I’m sending you all my love Zo, as are the team,’ he said.   

It comes as Zoe’s son Woody Cook revealed he’s ‘glad to see her smiling through tough times’ after she was photographed being comforted by ex-husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, outside a café in Hove on Thursday.  

As concern has grown around her unexplained absence – Woody, 23, who Zoe shares with Fatboy Slim – has broken his silence on his absence. 

He exclusively told MailOnline: ‘My mum and I like to keep our private lives to ourselves but I will say I have stepped up and spent a lot more time with her recently as she has always been there when I’ve had tough times. I’m glad to see her smiling.’ 

Sources close to the star told MailOnline she has been given ‘as much time as she needs’ by the BBC, who acted similarly when she took time off in March to care for her ill mother Julia Peckham who passed away from cancer a month later. 

As Zoe was spotted for the first time in weeks, BBC bosses are said to be doing ‘everything they can’ to help her return to work when she is ready. 

Before leaving her show in August, the star enjoyed a holiday to Ibiza with her son Woody and daughter Nelly and attended Brighton Pride. 

She then returned to work for three days before leaving the show.

The BBC has not offered any explanation for her absence, other than a spokeswoman last week saying she will be back later this month.

Zoe has also been unusually quiet on social media with her last Instagram message posted on August 5. 

In March, Zoe said she would be taking time off to care for her mother Julia Peckham, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. 

She died in April and the host returned to work on May 13. Last year, Ms Ball took three weeks off in Corfu to host Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream for rival ITV.

Zoe has overcome a series of tragedies and heartbreak that led her to take time away from Radio 2 to focus on her family earlier this year.

The BBC icon announced in April that her mother Julia had died after a battle with pancreatic cancer following her diagnosis just a month before.

Posting a tribute to her mother on social media, she said: ‘Sleep tight dear Mama. 

Zoe has had her own personal experience with cancer this year after her mum Julia Peckham died of pancreatic cancer back in April 

It comes as Zoe’s son Woody Cook revealed he’s ‘glad to see her smiling through tough times’ after she was photographed being comforted by ex-husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim 

Zoe’s mum Julia died in April and the host returned to work on May 13 

In the tribute posted to Instagram (pictured), Zoe told fans she is ‘bereft’ 

‘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.  We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other.’

It is the latest in a string of tragedies the beloved Radio 2 presenter has had to endure. 

Her five-and-a-half year relationship with Michael Reed recently broke down, and seven years ago her partner Billy Yates took his own life in May 2017.

Mr Yates’s death came after the breakdown of Ms Ball’s 18-year marriage to DJ Fatboy Slim, real name Normal Cook.