Zoe Ball broke down in tears this morning as she began presenting her last Radio 2 Breakfast show after six years of fronting the coveted BBC slot.
During Friday’s programme, the 53-year-old admitted that she was so teary-eyed that she couldn’t see the buttons in front of her, and apologised in advance for any mistakes.
“Everything’s going to go wrong because I can’t see the buttons through my giddy tears,” she said.
As Ball emotionally signed off at the end of the programme, she told listeners: “You’re just there and I’m just here, having a chat with a mate. It’s such a special and intimate relationship.”
She said: “It’s been such a gift to do the show, to follow in the footsteps of Terry [Wogan] and Steve [Wright] and others. It’s been a privilege to be the first [woman] to present the show...remember girls, you can do anything.”
“I’ll see you in the Spring here on Radio 2, popping up to share new adventures. It’s been very special, take care of yourselves. Love you my peeps, my top cats,” she said, before hitting play on her final song, Münchener Freiheit’s 1988 hit “Keeping the Dream Alive”.
Introducing the programme, Ball said her whole team were in the studio for her final farewell.
“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 said.
She continued: “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!”
"I’ve already had a little cry on Patrick! But we’re going to have lots of fun today. We’re playing some of my favourite records today – both Christmassy and non-Christmassy ones and we’ll get through as many messages from the listeners as we can.”
Ball went on to reveal that she had received supportive messages from celebrities including Cher, Kylie Minogue, David Tennant and Strictly’s Oti Mabuse.
During the programme, Ball reconnected with viewers who have supported her over the years, such as one woman who named their daughter after Ball when the presenter made history as Radio 2’s first female breakfast show host on the day she gave birth six years ago.
In another moment, BBC Radio’s biggest names shared a package of heartfelt messages on the show, with Dermot O’Leary and Scott Mills both dedicating well-wishes to the presenter. “Right that’s it, I’ve gone,” said Ball, breaking down in tears.
It comes after Ball announced last month that she would be stepping away from the show “after six incredible years”.
Telling her listeners about her decision, she said: “I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. 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!”
Addressing her listeners, she said: “We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats.”
She added she would also miss her colleagues, who are like “family” to her.
Shortly after it was announced Ball would be leaving, the BBC revealed that Scott Mills would be taking over Ball’s slot on weekday mornings, moving on from the weekday afternoon programme that he presents from 2pm to 4pm.
Mills said of the news that he and Ball have been friends for 25 years and that he was “beyond excited to be handed the baton”.
“It feels ever since recording my first shows as a kid for an audience of one, my mum, all roads since have led to this amazing opportunity,” he said. “It really is a lifelong dream come true to follow in the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to be the new presenter of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show.”
Ball said Mills has been a “close friend” for years, and that she was “beyond thrilled” it was him taking over.
Ball began hosting the breakfast show in 2019, when she took over from Chris Evans, who had fronted the programme for almost a decade.
She was the first female breakfast show host in Radio 2’s history. She also made history as the first female presenter of BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast show, which she hosted for two years from 1998.
Her departure comes after Ball took time off in April from her breakfast show to care for her mother, Julie Peckham, who was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer earlier this year. In April, Peckham died aged 74, with Gaby Roslin and Mills stepping in to cover Ball’s morning slot.
Ball temporarily returned to the show on 8 August for four days before Mills took over again until she returned on 23 September.
