Zoe Ball has broken her silence on Sara Cox becoming the new host of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, a role Ball herself held for five years. Speaking on the Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, Ball sent her best wishes to Cox, who makes her debut on the programme today.
Ball's Message of Support
Ball said: "I just wanted to send her all the love and wish her so much luck with that. She's going to be brilliant, I keep having people running into me saying 'Oh wow, we're looking forward to Sara'. So I just want to say good luck Sara. I know she hates people saying good luck to her, but I'm saying it anyway."
When asked by Whiley why Cox dislikes being wished luck, Ball laughed and recalled Cox recently revealing she wanted to switch her phone off to avoid those messages. "I guess it's probably because it makes you nervous," Ball suggested. Whiley added: "She has wanted it for a long time, she'll nail it."
Cox's Journey to the Breakfast Show
Cox succeeds Scott Mills, who was recently sacked from the show following allegations about his personal conduct. In a statement, Mills did not address the substance of the allegations or offer a denial but thanked those who supported him: "I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues, and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss."
Mills took over from Ball last year after she stepped down from the Breakfast Show following five years at the helm. Ball later left her Saturday afternoon programme and announced last week that she will join Greatest Hits Radio in September.
Cox's Previous Reflections on Missing Out
Back in 2019, Cox reflected on missing out on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show when Ball was appointed. Speaking to The Sun, she said: "I knew in my heart of hearts and in my brain that I wasn't getting Breakfast." She explained that "one of the first rules is that the stand-in never gets the gig," adding that she "wasn't disappointed" or "surprised" when she was told the news.
Instead, Cox was offered the teatime slot, saying at the time: "It's work, it's business. And the way it's turned out is that I've got this teatime show and I'll be a much nicer person than I would've been on Breakfast."
Cox's Statement on Landing the Role
After finally landing the job seven years later, Cox said in a statement: "There are not enough adjectives to really sum up how I'm feeling about being trusted with such an iconic show but let's start with ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed. It's been a dream to host the Breakfast Show since I joined Radio 2 and it feels like a bit of a full circle for me."
She added: "I've had the most glorious seven years of my career on Teatime so thank you to my brilliant Teatime listeners who hopefully will join me at Breakfast for excellent music and all my usual nonsense plus some superstar guests. I honestly can't wait to wake the nation up with the biggest most fun breakfast show ever."
