Two years after the death of her mother, Zoe Ball has spoken about the emotional impact of her loss, describing a solo trip to the Isle of Skye. The 55-year-old took a temporary break from her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show in the aftermath, before stepping down from the programme in December 2024.
Speaking to The Sunday Times Style Magazine, Ball said she drove alone to the Isle of Skye for the first time, inspired by her mother, Julia, who used to sing her 'The Skye Boat Song' as a child. However, low cloud spoiled the views. "Heartbreakingly it was really low cloud so I didn’t get to see the fantastic views," she said.
Despite the weather, she drove around the lochs "playing our tunes" and thought about her mother, adding: "I still talk to her all the time." She also described scattering some of her mother's ashes in Crete with her brother, Jamie, while the rest remain on a shelf at home. Ball recalled her mother's joking instruction to "put me in a bin", but said the family refused.
Ball became emotional during the interview, saying: "Sorry, I get really emotional. I miss her so much." The presenter also explored her family history for BBC's Who Do You Think You Are?, learning about her grandmother, Peggy, who had spent time in a psychiatric hospital. Ball said she wished she could have told her mother about it: "Mum, I understand!"
Zoe Ball's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? airs on Tuesday 26 May at 9pm on BBC One.
