Zoe Ball was overcome with emotion as she was treated to a farewell lunch by a handful of her BBC Radio 2 colleagues on Tuesday.
The DJ and TV star, 54, enjoyed a meal at London’s swanky Langan’s Brasserie towards the beginning of the week and doting mum Zoe was clearly feeling sentimental about leaving her team behind, appearing to become emotional at one point during the evening.
Zoe seemingly wiped away a tear with her hand, but before long the ex-wife of hitmaker Fatboy Slim had a huge grin on her face as she enjoyed one last hurrah with her co-workers.
Zoe seemingly wiped away a tear with her right hand (
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Her upmarket dinner comes just over a month after Zoe confirmed she’d be stepping down from her Radio 2 role, an announcement that followed her extended absence over the summer in the wake of her mother Julia Peckham’s death in April.
Zoe lifted her left hand to her face to wipe her eye (
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TOPSTAR-WJ_Images / BACKGRID)
But Zoe was in high spirits on Tuesday evening and looked typically stylish in an edgy all-black look. The mum-of-two was joined by the likes of Richie Anderson and Tina Daheley, who clearly treated the much-loved DJ to a special farewell gift, with Zoe bundling solo out of the posh eatery clutching an enormous yellow Selfridges bag.
Zoe was smiling again before long (
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TOPSTAR-WJ_Images / BACKGRID)
Before hopping into a waiting car and being whisked home, Zoe – who will present her last show on Friday – made sure to give her Radio 2 family a big hug.
Announcing the news last month, Zoe told her fans: “After six years of fun times alongside you all on the breakfast show, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter.
“You know I think the world of you all, listeners, and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you, to go through life’s little ups and downs, we got through the lockdown together, didn’t we? We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats.”
Zoe hopped into a waiting car and being whisked home (
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TOPSTAR-WJ_Images / BACKGRID)
Zoe bundled out of the eatery with a Selfridges bag (
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TOPSTAR-WJ_Images / BACKGRID)
Zoe has appeared on various TV shows over the years though, including presenting Strictly Come Dancing companion show It Takes Two for the BBC from 2011 to 2020. She’s also worked with other broadcasters, including more recently hosting ITV talent show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream last year and appearing as a cast member on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox.
She rose to fame more than three decades ago as an on-screen presenter, fronting shows like SMart, Live & Kicking and Top of the Pops in the 1990s. She however pursued opportunities as a radio host during the decade too and in recent years has become known for work on BBC Radio. She’ll be replaced on Radio 2 by Scott Mills.
Among those in the studio for Zoe’s final week was Robbie Williams, who congratulated her on her “service to entertainment. And she teased her next move when the Angels star said: “I know this is not the end completely for you.”
The radio host quipped: “Or is it? I’m taking up gardening. I’m going to work in a garden centre”. He then quickly tweaked his planned tribute to tell the DJ: “Well I just want to say thank you for your services SO FAR to the entertainment world, to BBC Radio 2, to all that have gone before you and will come after you, but to you in particular.
