Zoe Ball quits BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show with replacement already announced
Blackpool born Zoe Ball has announced she is to step down from her radio role from next month.
53-year-old Zoe is normally in the Radio 2 studio from 6.30am on weekdays but she had been absent from the breakfast slot for the past five weeks, with Scott Mills and Gaby Roslin stepping in.
Announcing her decision to quit the show, she cited family as a reason to her many listeners.
She said: “After six incredible years on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it’s time for me to step away from the very early mornings and focus on family.
"I've decided it's time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter.
"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."
She added she would also miss her colleagues who were like family to her, but not the 4am alarm call.
She will remain on the station, and said more news on what that would involve would be announced in the new year.
Her last show will be on Friday, December 20, with Scott Mills taking over moving from his afternoon show slot on the station.
Her last time on-air came on August 8 and it marked her first show back following another lengthy absence after the death of her mother Julia Peckham from cancer in April.