Zoe Ball offered support to her co-star Jo Whiley during an emotional episode of their Dig It podcast, just hours before Jo shared devastating news with her Instagram followers. Jo Whiley, the BBC Radio 2 presenter, revealed on Tuesday evening that her father Martin had died aged 86 following a battle with Parkinson's disease.
Shortly before announcing the tragic news, Jo became visibly upset as she disclosed he had been taken into hospital after experiencing a bleed on the brain. Martin then spent several days undergoing medical care before being moved to a ward where he was being 'kept comfortable'.
Emotional Podcast Moment
'He's not going to get better and so everyone's been to say hellos and goodbyes,' Jo started explaining to Zoe, before becoming overwhelmed with emotion. As she attempted to compose herself, Zoe became tearful while intervening to console her. She said: 'Oh darling, just saying those things out loud, it's really tough.'
The former BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show presenter is also among many who have expressed their condolences to Jo following the announcement.
Tribute to Her Father
In an extensive tribute shared on her Instagram page, Jo described her father as 'the kindest man, who lived solely to make others happy'. 'He was supremely selfless and loved nothing more than caring for others and making people laugh,' she continued. 'He may have had the saddest childhood but he triumphed by giving me, Frances [her sister], and his grandchildren the happiest childhoods anyone could have dreamt of. He was the greatest Dad and he was everybody's favourite Grandad, but especially to India, Jude, Cass and Coco [her children] who adored him.'
In the comments section, Zoe wrote: 'Darling Jo. I'm so sorry for your loss. Your words and these photos paint such a picture of a wonderful man who loved his family with his whole heart. Thinking of you and your mum, Frances and the kids and Steve.'
Final Moments
During the pair's most recent podcast episode, Jo said the 'hardest thing' during her father's final moments was seeing how upset the younger members of her family were while watching their grandfather's condition worsen. 'They say that hearing is the last thing to go, so we've had some really nice conversations talking to him,' she shared. 'The first time I saw him, we were trying to get a reaction from him, we were trying to read signs about whether he could hear us and he was responding initially, which was wonderful, and everyone got time with him on their own.'
'It was really important for it to just be us alone. And you do say those things that you've never said,' she continued. Jo continued to explain how her father 'never wanted to talk about feelings or emotions', highlighting that he would regularly avoid such conversations. 'So, it was kind of funny because there was nothing he could do to stop us from telling him how much we loved him,' she added.
Later in the podcast, Jo found it difficult to hold back her emotions again as she remembered her father speaking the name of Frances, who has a rare chromosomal disorder called Cri du Chat, while he was barely conscious. 'And she keeps saying, "Daddy said my name" and it was lovely, it couldn't have been better,' she added.
