Zoe Ball weeps while listening to heartbreaking story of a listener’s mother’s ‘perfect’ death – two years after suffering ’emotional breakdown’ over her own mum’s passing

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Zoe Ball became emotional during her podcast when a listener shared a story about losing their mother, a particularly sensitive topic for Ball, who lost her own mother two years ago.

On her podcast, Dig It, co-hosted with Jo Whiley, Zoe heard from a caller named Di whose 90-year-old mother had recently asked to spend Christmas by herself because she was feeling tired. Sadly, the mother passed away after a fall in the garden shortly after making that request.

The two presenters, both in their late 50s and early 60s, visibly struggled to hold back tears while hearing Di’s story. This came shortly after Zoe revealed she had an emotional breakdown following the 2024 death of her mother, Julia, from pancreatic cancer.

Zoe, clearly moved by Di’s words, replied, ‘Oh Di, that was such a lovely message. Your mum sounds like a truly wonderful person.’

Following the death of her sister, Julia, in April 2024, Zoe had to take a break from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show. She later shared in September that she was completely unable to work, describing a moment where she was overwhelmed with grief and couldn’t even get up from the kitchen floor.

In the latest episode of Dig It, a show that explores the challenges of daily life, Di shared a deeply sad revelation. She explained, ‘I believe her exhaustion was a signal that her body was beginning to shut down…’

On New Year’s Eve, she went outside, put on her coat to feed the birds, and quietly passed away in her garden.

The garden meant everything to her, and she cherished the animals that visited. It was a beautiful Christmas, and in a way, a perfect way for her life to end.

Zoe showed Di she understood, saying, ‘Hearing you talk about them and how much you still miss her after five years… I completely get it.’

Oh, don’t even get me started on lost loves! It just aches, doesn’t it? But honestly, I try to focus on how lucky I was to have them at all. They completely changed my world, and I’m so grateful for every single moment, even the tough ones. It’s like they brought this whole new color into my life, and I’ll cherish that forever.

In September, Zoe publicly shared her difficult experience, explaining that she had a significant emotional breakdown which she hadn’t previously discussed. She described it as a very tough time.

My doctor was incredible. He went above and beyond, even bringing me coffee and bagels, and gently let me know it was time to seek some support. He was truly a wonderful person.

Zoe hadn’t talked much about her mother’s death in public before. But as she continues to deal with her grief, she shared last year that celebrating her daughter Julia’s first birthday after her mother’s passing was incredibly hard.

It’s been a little over a year since my mother passed away, and finding her birthday on the calendar this year was incredibly difficult – even more so, considering it was a full year after her death.

That was incredibly difficult. I cried for days, and even now, talking about my mother still brings up a lot of emotion.

I believe the most helpful thing is to rely on the people you care about, and to allow yourself to cry. It’s important to let out all the sadness and pain you’re feeling.

Announcing her mother’s death on social media, Zoe wrote: ‘Sleep tight dear Mama.

We’ll always remember how you taught us to love without limits, to be brave and understanding, and to find joy even when things are hard. We miss you deeply, but we’ll support each other and keep your memory alive.

Before leaving her Radio 2 breakfast show, Zoe was among the BBC’s top-earning female presenters, earning £950,000.

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2026-01-19 16:48