Zoe Ball

Zoe Ball (Zoe Louise Ball, b. 23 November 1970) is a British broadcaster, currently host of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, the first female to hold the position. She was also the first woman to host the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, from October 1997 to March 2000.

In television she co-presented Live and Kicking, Top of the Pops and The Big Breakfast in the 1990s ans various other light entertainment programmes after 2002. She was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing season 3, coming in at third place.

Ball's father is 1970s children's TV presenter Johnny Ball (b.1938). In August 1999 she married recording artist and DJ Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) although they separated in 2016. In 2017 her cameraman boyfriend Billy Yates took his own life.

Significant dates

 * 17 February 1996: Appears as guest on Live and Kicking (BBC 1) "from Channel 4's The Big Breakfast".


 * 21 September 1996: new co-host of Live and Kicking with Jamie Theakston.
 * 28 March 1997: debut as TOTP presenter.
 * 13 October 1997: new Radio 1 Breakfast Show, co-hosting with Kevin Greening.
 * 28 September 1998: begins Radio 1 Breakfast Show as sole presenter.
 * 10 March 2000: final Radio 1 Breakfast Show. (Sara Cox begins 03 April 2000.
 * mid-2002 - end 2004: presenter on XFM radio.
 * 04 March 2006: first show on Radio 2 sitting in for Dermot O'Leary.
 * 30 September 2007: hosts special show with Sara Cox for Radio 1's 30th anniversary.
 * 10 June 2008: The Second Summer of Love - four-part series on BBC 6 Music
 * 21 June 2008: The Definitive History of UK Dance Music - three-part series on Radio 2.
 * 01 July 2008: The Greatest Dance Records of All Time' three-part series "a countdown of the top ten greatest dance records ever, as voted for by Radio 2 listeners".
 * 29 November 2008: begins Saturday morning show with Danny Baker, replacing Jonathan Ross's show.
 * 06 June 2009: new early morning show (6.00 am) on Radio 2