BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball has made a surprisingly intimate confession about her new 'lover', revealing the very personal scent she finds irresistibly 'sexy'. The 55-year-old broadcaster's candid remarks come just weeks after she confirmed she had moved a mystery man, whom she jokingly calls 'The Lodger', into her home.
Sniffing Pits Is 'Sexy': Zoe's Intimate Admission
Speaking openly on her gardening podcast Dig It with co-host Jo Whiley, Zoe Ball did not hold back on discussing her olfactory attractions. "Sniffing pits is sexy though," she declared. "I've often had this thing, when I've been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits."
She acknowledged how it might sound to others, but defended her preference passionately. "I know it sounds weird, but if you love someone, you've got to love all their smells, not necessarily their bathroom smells. I draw a line at that. But there's something about armpit smells that I think are really sexy."
Missing Her Mystery Man's Scent
Ball elaborated on how this manifests when she's apart from her partner. "My favourite thing to often do is sometimes, especially if I've not seen my lover for a while, is when they've got their arms around you, I'm like sniffing in the armpits," she described, admitting she sometimes gets "a right old look" for it.
Her attachment to a partner's scent extends to their shared space. "I have a thing that if my partner goes away, I don't like to wash the bed until they get back," she revealed. "A, because I'm worried they might not come back, and B, I love the smell. I love the smell of them on the pillows."
She compared it to the behaviour of her children, who borrow their partners' clothes to keep their scent close, calling the act "really lovely". Ball also offered a poignant relationship barometer: "If you go off someone, you know you've gone off them if they suddenly, the smells you used to love about them starts to smell a bit funky."
The Enigmatic 'Lodger' With More Awards
While fiercely protecting his identity, Zoe Ball offered a few tantalising clues about the man now sharing her home. During the podcast chat, which touched on unused Christmas gifts, she recalled the mystery man walking in on her using a special massage brush for lymphatic drainage.
When Jo Whiley asked, "And he's still around. He's still in your life?" Ball confirmed, "He's still here at the moment. He's still lodging."
Perhaps the biggest hint dropped was about his professional accolades. Discussing her own awards, which include a Sony Radio Award and a BAFTA for the final episode of Live and Kicking, Ball revealed her lodger is even more decorated. "The lodger has won loads of awards… I need to up my game," she joked, with Whiley suggesting she "steal" them for her mantelpiece.
Zoe Ball's last public relationship was with construction worker Michael Reed, which ended in 2023. She was previously married to DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, for 18 years before their separation in 2016. The status of her relationship with 'The Lodger' remains officially unconfirmed.
