Zoe Ball has signed off her final BBC Radio 2 show, saying that she hopes she “managed to bring some sunshine and light” to listeners when they most needed it.
The radio presenter, 54, received messages from singer Kylie Minogue, England footballer Alessia Russo and Doctor Who star David Tennant, as she said goodbye to her breakfast programme for the final time on Friday.
Ending the show, Ball thanked her listeners, saying: “It’s been a real privilege to keep your company through your morning manoeuvres.
“You’re just there and I’m just here having a chat with a mate. 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 a daft distraction from the hardest stuff, I’ve been bowled over by your messages, texts, emails, cards and letters across the years.”
“I send buckets of love out to you and your dear ones this Christmas, it’s been very special. Take care of yourselves, lovely peeps, my top cats.”
Just before 9.30am, Ball “promised” a listener she was “not moving far”.
Ball also gave a shout-out to “all the marvellous folk who work at Radio 2, our boss, Helen (Thomas), she has a tough job but she does it with great care. I have so much respect for her”.
She also told staff, including security guards, cleaners, presenters and the production team, that “you’re all wonderful and you’ve made our show so fun”.
She also paid tribute to Radio 2 star Steve Wright, who died in February, saying: “We miss you darling man, but your magic is with us always, thank you so much for being an amazing broadcaster and a friend to all of our listeners.”
Tennant, who has presented Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day with Ball, told her: “You’ve been so amazing over the last six years.
“Oh my lord, the country’s going to miss you – the best person to have breakfast with.”
Minogue said: “Thank you for an incredible six years. The nation loves you and I love you, and every time I’ve been in to see you, it’s been so much fun.”
As BBC presenter Vernon Kay began his Radio 2 show from 9.30am, he called Ball a “mate for life”, and said she would be “missed”.
She announced her decision to leave in November, saying it was time for her to “step away from the very early mornings and focus on family”.
Ball will return to the airwaves to present two episodes of Zoe Ball’s Christmas Crooners, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
From January, Scott Mills will take over the breakfast show and his previous weekday slot of 2pm to 4pm will be filled by Trevor Nelson.
Last month, Ball said on Instagram that she wakes up most days with “awful headaches” because of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.
The condition affects the movement of the jaw and causes pain in the joint and surrounding muscles, according to the NHS.
Ball took a break from hosting her breakfast show over the summer and returned in September.
She was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/24 with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, ranking her second on the list of top-earning talent behind Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.
