Fatboy Slim has opened up about his past relationship with Zoe Ball, describing it as 'absolute chaos' and revealing his manager warned him about the level of publicity that would follow. The DJ, real name Norman Cook, was married to Ball from 1999 to 2016 and they share two children, Woody, 25, and Nelly, 16.
Speaking on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast, Cook recalled telling his manager about the romance. 'He went, 'You do realise if you and Zo are a couple, your life is never going to be the same',' Cook said. At the time, Ball was hosting the Radio One Breakfast Show, while Cook was at the height of his music career.
Cook admitted he was not used to tabloid fame, unlike Ball, who helped him adjust. 'Zoe, she was kind of used to it and she talked me through it. But we were both partying a lot and all our friends were partying a lot, but also working really hard,' he said.
The former couple met in Ibiza through mutual friends and married within a year. Cook praised Ball as 'a really good teacher' who kept him 'down to earth', adding: 'We had this tremendous adventure together.' Despite their marriage ending, they remain 'really good friends' and live near each other in Brighton.
