Zoe Ball has delivered an emotional sign-off to her slot on Radio 2, reflecting on her “very special” time on the show.
Ball announced last month that she would be bringing her time as presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show to an end. Speaking to listeners at the time, she reflected on “six incredible years” in the role, and explained that the decision came for her as she was ready to “step away from the very early mornings and focus on family”.
Her final show took place this morning (December 20), and saw her receive countless messages of thanks from listeners, fellow presenters, and famous faces including David Tennant and Revd Kate Bottley.
After breaking out an assortment of tracks for the final episode – including songs by Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, David Bowie, Elbow and more – Ball addressed listeners to reflect on her time on the show, and thank them for their support.
“It’s been such a gift to do this show, to follow wonderful Terry [Wogan] and, of course, Chris [Evans], tough acts to follow. Pretty cool to be the first lass to host and I won’t be the last. Remember, girls, you can do anything,” she began.
“So to the biggest stars of our Breakfast Show, that’s you all of our listeners – young and old, and those in the middle – thank you for tuning in, whether as a lone listener, as a family, as a work gang on your morning jogs, dog walks, truck drives, training, commutes or hiding in bed, it’s been a real privilege to keep you company through your morning manoeuvres. You’re just there, and I’m just here having a chat with a mate.”
She continued: “It’s such a special, intimate relationship. It’s never lost on me that we’ve been through life’s little highs and little lows together. I really do hope that we’ve managed to bring some sunshine and light when you’ve most needed it, a daff distraction from the harder stuff.”
Concluding she said: “I’ve been bowled over by your messages, texts, emails, cards and letters across the years. Thank you for sharing with me your stories of love and loss, your baby news, your kids leaving home. Together listeners, there’s been much laughter, some silliness, a few tears, lots of singing, and there’s been dancing, may there always be dancing.”
Scott Mills has been named as the next host of the Breakfast Show, moving from his current slot presenting the weekday afternoon programme between 2-4pm.
In her farewell speech, Ball also addressed Mills taking on the role, describing him as “one of the good ‘uns” and assuring those listening that they are “gonna have a lot of fun together”. She then rounded off the episode by playing the 1998 Münchener Freiheit song ‘Keeping The Dream Alive’. You can listen to the full episode here.
Mills has taken on the Radio 2 Breakfast show before, previously stepping in on presenting duties over the summer when Ball was absent for six weeks. Upon her return in September, she thanked Mills for “looking after the show” and said there would be “more on that later”, but did not directly address the reason for her absence.
Following news of Zoe Ball’s leaving the show, Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 said: “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019, and I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first. I’m thrilled that she’ll remain an important part of the Radio 2 family.”
