'I walked into M&S and burst into tears': Blackpool's Zoe Ball opens up in latest podcast episode

In this week’s episode of her podcast with fellow presenter Jo Whiley, TV and radio star Zoe Ball has opened up about how she has been coping with the loss of her mum.

During Monday’s Dig In episode, Zoe and Jo, as always, answered questions posed by their listeners and one question in particular stirred up plenty of emotion.

The pair received a phone call from a woman preparing to face her first Christmas without her partner as she asked the stars for their advice.

Zoe, 54, was the first to answer, having just lost her mum , Julia, in April 2024 to cancer.

She said: “There’s a lot to be dealing with there, goodness me, and Christmas can be so hard for so many people.

“It’s almost like torture somtimes Christmas, I think, it’s that ‘hey, lovely, happy music’ and family getting together, da-de-da-de-da and ther’es so many people going through a really rough time and Christmas just feel sometimes like turning that notch up, those feelings are turned uip because, you know, what Christmas really means for people and it’s all about family and people being together and stuff like that. It really can be a tough old time.”

Jo went on say that it helps her to continue the usual traditions but whilst doing so, ensuring she acknowledges their loss and the personality of their late loved ones, thereby keeping them alive- even if it does involve a lot of crying laughing!

In response, Zoe, whose father is the TV personality Johnny Ball, revealed her own way of coping with loss.

The mum of two said: “We always do a thing that we put all our lost loved ones on the tree, the Christmas tree, and we’ve got little baubles with pictures. And it’s such a moment of decorating the tree of putting them up on the tree. It used to just be my grandparents and it was Chesh who was Woody’s godfather and you know Billy [her ex-partner] goes up on the tree and now Rick and my mum and Yol, who was my friend. There’s just so many, it’s like weighted down with all our lovely friends on the tree.

“But it’s such a lovely thing unwrapping their decorations and putting them on. I always light a candle on Christmas Eve and do a toast.

“And I have thing of talking to the stars. This is something I always do. I go outside and sometimes just have a good chat with everyone up in the stars.

“There’s just something beautiful about the universe and everybody’s spirits being up there because it’s so final death, people are gone and it’s devastating and you miss them so much so keeping them alive through love and memory and still talking to them i think is so important.

“Don’t be afraid to cry, don’t afraid to hold on to each other, and often through crying and sadness, once you’ve got those feelings out a little bit, you can find laughter and there can be joy.”

Giving an example of herself doing this, Zoe added: “I walked into M&S the other day, saw Christmas decorations and burst into tears immediately because I’m like ‘mum’ but then I’m laughing because I’m thinking, she’d be looking at me and going ‘put yourself together for gods sake, go and buy yourself your favourite sandwich.”

The Dig It podcast was announced by Zoe and Jo back in July.

Speaking to Deadline ahead of the official podcast announcement, Zoe said: “I’m so super-excited to dive into the world of podcasting with my girl Jo, I’ve got so much love and respect for her – she’s been a true lifeline.

“Our friendship goes back 30 years, to our days on The Word and The Big Breakfast. We’ve grown up together, personally and professionally, along with our listeners.

“The show is what happens when two mates – who are constantly mistaken for each other – hit record on their regular catch-ups and talk life, unfiltered and full volume. We’re chatting about our week, wild kids, ageing, what’s for dinner, digging – literally, music obsessions, grief and everything in between. No scripts, no gloss, just real talk, real laughs and a bit of beautiful mayhem. We’ll be answering your questions too, so buckle up. It’s going to be a blast.”