Zoe Ball has described how a cyclist punched her car's windscreen during a road rage incident in London, an event she says has left her battling panic attacks.
The former BBC Radio 2 presenter, 55, explained that she was caught up in what she called "absolute carnage" while driving through the capital, with cars "coming at her" from several directions. A male cyclist became infuriated when she slowed down during the commotion and struck her car.
What happened on the road
Speaking on her podcast Dig It with Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley, Ball said: "I have really bad anxiety and it's been terrible recently.
"I was having panic attacks a little bit at the weekend again which I haven't had for a long time. I had a cyclist punch my car window in London the other day because... I've had a rant about it, but cyclists cycling around the car, not stopping at lights...
"You know, just coming every which way at you... it makes it so difficult as a driver in London. I am vigilant and I am really aware, but it's like, I had people on one side, people on the other side, cars coming out, it's like it's absolute carnage."
Ball, who left Radio 2 in December 2025, added: "This guy - it's like he could see my car, he could see I was slowing down. He could see I was moving over and he punched my windscreen."
Impact on the presenters
Her co-host Jo Whiley said: "And it's really violent, isn't it? Really, it feels violating."
Ball replied: "It's really violent. I was like, 'Mate, can you see what's happening either side of me?' It's like, you can see the car, just slow down."
Earlier in the conversation, Whiley revealed that a horse box had crashed into her son Cass's car while she was inside it. She said: "I was stationary. Horse box just ran into me, took the back of his car off, wrote it off. So, it's dead. Car's dead. It has only just been repaired. We literally got it back last Thursday...
"It's quite weird when you have a car accident. I haven't had an accident for such a long time, like hardly ever in my life. And when someone drives into your car, when it's actually going on, it's so shocking.
"Like you can't believe it's actually happening. You feel really shocked afterwards. Really fragile. You can't believe it's going on. Well, you feel a bit edgy, don't you?"
Previous struggles with anxiety
Ball said: "Then when you're driving afterwards, you feel a bit edgy. Because someone fell asleep at the wheel and hit my car... Do you remember last year on the motorway? And I still drive past that very spot and shudder every time. Everything was absolutely fine and everybody was okay and you know, but it does really shake you."
Last year, the broadcaster revealed she suffered crippling anxiety, panic attacks and exhaustion as a result of her menopause before finding a treatment that brought her relief. She described managing her symptoms with daily bioidentical gel and quarterly blood tests.
Ball said: "I take those everyday because I was getting some really bad periods. I was getting some really nasty random big bleeds.
"And when I was doing the Breakfast Show, I had horrific anxiety. That was my worst sort of symptom and that involved panic attacks, not being able to breathe, a lot of tears, quite a low mood and it was quite frightening at times."
She admitted she initially turned to antidepressants before realising the menopause was the main trigger. Ball also revealed last year that she suffered an emotional breakdown following the death of her mother, Julia, from pancreatic cancer in April 2024, which led to her taking a break from her then-morning show.
