Zoe Ball burst into tears during her emotional final episode of BBC Radio 2's 'The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show' on Friday (20.12.24).
The 54-year-old broadcaster - who took over from Chris Evans, 58, on the early morning slot in 2019 - vowed to have "lots of fun" as she bid farewell to her top radio job by playing lots of festive tunes and taking calls from her beloved listeners.
She quipped: "Everything's going to go wrong because I can't see the buttons through my giddy tears.
"We've had some tears already. We don't quite know what to do with ourselves this morning, do we? I've come in and I suddenly can't remember how to press the button."
She later confessed: "We're all pretending we're going to be OK, that the emotion isn't getting to us - but it's definitely getting to us. So hold tight!"
Speaking to one of her listeners, she admitted: "I've already had a little cry on Patrick! But we're going to have lots of fun today."
The farewell episode also saw tributes from her BBC colleagues, including from her replacement, Scott Mills, and Dermot O'Leary, both 51.
Zoe also heard from one of the listeners who loved her so much she named her daughter after her.
She signed off: "Right that's it, I've gone."
Zoe – who has son Woody, 23, and daughter Nelly, 14, with ex-husband Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) - previously explained that she was quitting Radio 2 to "focus on family".
She told her listeners last month: "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."
Zoe also recently announced she was diagnosed with a jaw condition that gives her "awful headaches".
TMJ - which stands for temporomandibular joint - leaves her with tension headaches when she wakes up.
Writing on Instagram, Zoe said: "I have TMJ and wake most days with awful headaches from tension and jaw clenching."
Alongside the caption, Zoe shared a photo of her face before and after receiving a lymphatic drainage facial treatment.
Symptoms of TMJ include jaw, ear and temple pain, as well as headaches.
Meanwhile, Zoe is reportedly planning to go "back to her TV roots" after leaving BBC Radio 2.
A source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "The ‘life’s too short’ mantra she seems to be adopting doesn’t just extend to leaving the gruelling job of doing the Radio 2 'Breakfast Show', it now includes looking at going back to her TV roots.
“After all, she sees her contemporaries like Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly, and Davina McCall appearing on prime time shows.
"It seems there’s never been a better time to be a fifty-something woman in TV presenting, and Zoe already brings with her a huge following.”
