Zoe Ball Questions Leaving BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show to Support Family

Zoe Ball has expressed doubts about her decision to quit the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, a job that paid £950,000 annually, in order to spend more time with her family, particularly her daughter Nelly, who is often out with friends and not at home as much as expected. She stepped down after six years, citing a desire to support Nelly through her GCSEs and navigate the challenges of her teenage years, but now questions, "What did I give up for?" despite appreciating the school runs and being involved in shows and matches. Ball shares her two children, Nelly, 15, and Woody, 24, with her ex-husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, and maintains a positive co-parenting relationship with him. Since leaving the breakfast show, she has returned to Radio 2 with a weekly show and enjoys the slower-paced family life, including gardening and doing puzzles with her ex-husband, which Woody finds amusing. Ball also revealed the emotional toll of her mother's death in 2024 and a car break-in incident earlier in the year. Overall, while she values the family time gained, she struggles with whether the sacrifice of her high-profile role was fully justified given her daughter's busy social life.