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Zoe Ball has been working at a beach cafe since leaving her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, her son has revealed.
The DJ, who made almost £1m a year while working for the corporation, stepped away from her hosting stint in December to “focus on family” after the death of her mother Julia.
Now, ahead of returning to Radio 2 with a new show, Ball is enjoying downtime away from the spotlight in Hove, east Sussex where she is taking shifts at the beach cafe that’s been owned by her ex-husband Fatboy Slim, real name Norman Cook, since 2013.
Woody said in a new interview it’s “funny” seeing his parents enjoying a relaxed lifestyle after indulging in more manic activities while he grew up.
“These crazy party people I grew up with are now gardening, making puzzles and working in the local café,” he told MailOnline.
“It’s very funny to see that transitional period, just as I’m kind of leaving the nest and now at the start of something big for me in music.”
Ball and Cook, who married in 1999, have remained friends since their separation in 2016 and divorce four years later.
The DJ was left “bereft” in April 2024 after the death of her mother, whom she cared for before she was moved to a hospice.
Announcing news of Julia’s death from advanced pancreatic cancer, Ball told her followers: “Sleep tight dear Mama.
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“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.”
Ball emotionally signed off from her final Breakfast Show broadcast days before Christmas in December, telling listeners: “You’re just there and I’m just here, having a chat with a mate. It’s such a special and intimate relationship.”
She said: “It’s been such a gift to do the show, to follow in the footsteps of Terry [Wogan] and Steve [Wright] and others. It’s been a privilege to be the first [woman] to present the show…remember girls, you can do anything.”
“I’ll see you in the Spring here on Radio 2, popping up to share new adventures. It’s been very special, take care of yourselves. Love you my peeps, my top cats,” she said, before hitting play on her final song, Münchener Freiheit’s 1988 hit “Keeping the Dream Alive”.
