Norman Cook, the legendary dance music artist known as Fatboy Slim, has opened up about an emotional family milestone, admitting he is "not ashamed to say I cried" when his son Woody Cook performed at a famous Ibiza venue.
Early Exposure to Ibiza Music Scene
Cook, who was in a relationship with former BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball until 2016, shares two children with her: Woody, now 25, and Nelly. Woody, who appeared in the 2019 season of The Circle, has carved out his own career as a DJ, following in his father's footsteps.
In a 2025 interview with Heart FM's Toby Anstis, the Rockafeller Skank hitmaker recalled how Woody's first exposure to the Ibiza music scene came at a very young age. "Woody, my son, grew up in that booth. Like, we used to take him down when he was like three. Cuz it was this...we couldn't get a babysitter. And so, he would play Lego," Cook explained.
A Touching Moment at Café Mambo
Cook spoke about his deep affection for Café Mambo, a renowned venue on the island where he has performed. "I love Mambo. It's... for me, like you said, it's... you're close enough to the crowd that you got proper communication. You got the people right on your shoulders that you can actually talk to because the music's not that loud," he said.
He continued: "He would sit in the corner of the DJ booth and play Lego. And then when he got to be six or seven, he could see out the top of the DJ booth. And then one day he went, 'Dad, I can see why you like your job.' He said, 'It's really exciting. Like the music's loud and everyone's shouting at you.' And so he kind of grew up. And then there was... There came a moment where my son played in Mambo, and I'm not ashamed to say I cried when my... when my son finally played."
Weird Hotel Experience with Ex-Wife Zoe Ball
In a separate revelation from October 2025, Cook recounted a "weird" experience he shared with ex-wife Zoe Ball in a hotel room. Speaking on Alan Carr's travel-themed podcast, Life's a Beach, he described finding their wedding photo framed by the bed in a Dubai hotel. "I think they were trying to make us feel at home, so they kinda Googled our wedding photo, printed one, put it in a frame, put it like...yeah, and one time...one time, I woke up and my name was embroidered on the pillow. Now that really threw me," he said.
Fans can catch Fatboy Slim headlining Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland on Friday, May 22, on BBC One from 10:40pm to 11:40pm.
