BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball has announced the death of her mother, Julia Peckham, following a cancer diagnosis. Ball, who has been absent from her breakfast show since March after revealing the 'heart-breaking' diagnosis, shared the news on X early Wednesday with the message, 'Sleep tight dear Mama'.
In a tribute, Ball wrote: 'We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other. Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts.' The announcement came days after Ball revealed her mother had been moved to a hospice.
Gaby Roslin, who was covering Ball's Wednesday show, informed listeners of the news, sending 'so much love to Zoe and the whole family'. She added: 'It's a horrible, awful time and I know so many of you have been through this time, losing a parent, losing a loved one.' Roslin played Fleetwood Mac's 'Songbird' in tribute.
Ball had previously spoken about her estrangement from her mother for 14 years, after her parents divorced when she was two. She was raised by her father, children's TV presenter Johnny Ball, and step-mother Di. They reconciled when Ball attended her mother's 40th birthday party, a meeting she described as emotional but healing.
Ball's son Woody Cook, 23, also paid tribute on Instagram, saying: 'Today I say goodbye to Granny J, thank you for being a wonderful woman.'
