Zoe Ball announced on air this morning on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds that she has decided to step down as presenter of the weekday Radio 2 Breakfast Show in December. Zoe will remain on the station, more to be announced soon.
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. 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!”
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019, and I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first. I’m thrilled that that she’ll remain an important part of the Radio 2 family.”
The new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show will be announced on today’s show, before 9.30am.
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.
Zoe 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.
BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 13.3 million (RAJAR Q3, 2024) and The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show the most listened to Breakfast show in the UK with 6.3 million listeners (RAJAR Q3, 2024). Vernon Kay (Monday-Friday, 9.30am-12pm) hosts the biggest radio show in the UK. The network’s presenters include Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Rob Beckett, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Revd. Kate Bottley, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Paul Gambaccini, Mark Goodier, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Shaun Keaveny, Cerys Matthews, Paddy McGuinness, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O’Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoony, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Michelle Visage, Jo Whiley, Phil Williams and Owain Wyn Evans.
At the 2024 Audio and Radio Industry Awards, also known as the ARIAs, Scott Mills won Gold for the Best Music Entertainment Show, 21st Century Folk won Gold for the Best Music Special, Windrush 75 won Gold for Best Coverage of an Event, and The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show won Bronze for the Best Music Breakfast Show. Plus, Cerys Matthews won the Best Blues Broadcaster Award for the third time at the annual UK Blues Awards and has been elected into the UK Blues Hall Of Fame.
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