Zoe Ball has revealed that her daughter Nelly has moved in with her ex-husband Fatboy Slim, confessing that her house is now 'so quiet'. The 55-year-old podcaster, who recently announced she had been rejected as the new host of Strictly Come Dancing, maintains a close friendship with Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, and the two co-parent their children Woody, 25, and Nelly, 16.
Quiet Household
On the latest episode of the Jo Whiley and Zoe's Dig It podcast, Ball contrasted Whiley's busy household with her own, which has become noticeably quieter. 'Mine's so quiet, it's like ugh! It's less and less because Nel is based more at her dad's now because I think she's got to that point of, "Ah can I just be in one place?"' she said. 'All of her CSI revision notes are on the wall at her dad's and it's just nice not having to move from house to house, so she's just spending more time there now.'
Convenient Arrangement
Ball clarified that the move has been made easier by the fact that Norman lives nearby. 'It's great because it's only around the corner and I can nip round at any time, which is great, and she can come here if she gets upset about anything like, "Mum, I need you" but it's less and less,' she added. Last year, Woody revealed he had moved to Bristol, while his parents remain in their hometown of Brighton.
Relationship Advice
Ball also spoke about the challenges of introducing new partners to her family, as she continues to enjoy a romance with a 'sexy' new boyfriend. The Daily Mail revealed in January that Ball has been dating BAFTA-winning production designer Mathieu Weekes, 49, for over a year, seven years after splitting from Norman. In a recent episode of her Dig It podcast, Ball admitted to co-host Jo Whiley that she has made mistakes in past relationships and introduced boyfriends to her children too quickly.
Responding to a listener's dilemma about moving on after the breakdown of a marriage, Whiley threw the question to Ball, who laughed as she admitted she had been through the issue of introducing new partners 'quite a few times. "Another one!" as my kids would say. I'm just kidding.'
'Introducing new partners, it's a tricky one. You just have to go with the feeling of it. I think it's okay to have a bit of a private life that isn't part of the kids' life for a little bit,' Ball advised. 'In the past I've rushed that by welcoming someone in and being like "here's my kids. Here's my life. This is me." And it's all a bit much. It's all a bit much for me. It's all a bit much for the kids.'
'Hopefully at some point there is someone where you think actually this person's pretty cool and they're pretty laid-back and they're not going to come in and demand to be part of your kids' lives.' She added: 'I think the right person will respect your relationship with your kids, will respect the relationship you have with your ex. I'd be wary of anyone who wants this to happen too soon for you.'
'You might meet a few people and they might initially seem to be fabulous. You may then get to know that they're complicated because it's really hard to get to our stage of life without baggage. And initially you might meet someone and think, "Oh, wow. This person's too good to be true." Sometimes they are.'
Past Relationships
Before Mathieu, Ball's last public relationship was with former construction worker Michael Reed. The pair were together for five years before their split in 2023, as sources told The Sun the relationship began to break down after Michael became 'a bit demanding'. Before Michael, she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in May 2017 after a long battle with depression.
Advice on Leaving a Marriage
Ball, who was married to Norman for 17 years, also offered advice to the listener who had admitted she felt guilty about leaving her unhappy marriage. The star empathised, saying 'it is so hard to leave a relationship when you know it's the right thing to do.' 'You feel awful for the person you've left. You feel terrible for breaking up a family. You feel guilty for your kids. It is a lot. And it does take such bravery.'
'But when you're out and the dust starts to settle, you realise that was exactly what you needed to do. Hopefully your kids as they get older, you can talk to them a little bit more about why that happened.' 'Sometimes you might not want to talk to them about that. They might not want to hear it. I think sometimes it takes for them to be adults themselves and be in relationships to realise how difficult it is.'
Norman and Zoe began their romance in 1997 after they met in Ibiza and they married two years later at Babington House in Somerset.
