Zoe Ball has leaned on her ex-husband Fatboy Slim for support since stepping down from BBC Radio 2. Radio presenter Zoe, 54, left her breakfast show in December to 'focus on her family' and now appears to be living a much quieter and wholesome lifestyle. The beloved broadcaster used to be married to Norman Cook - aka Fatboy Slim - and they amicably co-parent their two children, Woody, 24, and Nelly, 14.
Their son Woody has now revealed that his 'crazy party' parents have ditched their wild nights out on the town to work in their local cafe. He shared yesterday: "In the last five years, it's been funny watching my parents take up gardening both of them." Norman owns the Big Beach Cafe in Hove and is often seen working in the eatery. Back in March, Zoe shared that she would be taking time off work to care for her mother Julia Peckham, who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Sadly, Julia passed away in May, with Zoe penning a heartbreaking tribute. Sharing details of her funeral with social media followers, Zoe wrote: "Yesterday we said goodbye to our dear Mama, Granny J. It was the perfect day and she would have loved it, forever in our hearts Mama, thank you for your magic & love. Missing you so much but holding tight to each other.".
In August, Zoe stepped back from her morning presenting duties, which she returned to in late September and ex Norman was there for her at her time of grief. Ahead of her return, Zoe was spotted for the first time during her BBC Radio 2 leave alongside Norman, with the former couple seen laughing together with a group of people outside a Hove café. In November, it was reported that Zoe and Normal were "spending more time together than ever", with a friend from Hove telling the Daily Mail: "They always seem to be together." Another pal told the publication that the exes have been attending their son Woody's DJ gigs together.
The couple met in Ibiza and bonded over a shared love of music, tying the knot two years later in 1999. In the first year of the new Millennium, the happy couple welcomed their son Woody - who has since gone on to follow in his dad's DJ-ing footsteps. The years that followed their fairytale wedding weren't exactly smooth sailing, however. In 2003, the pair briefly separated after Norman, now 61, discovered Zoe had been unfaithful with his pal DJ Dan Peppe. They reconciled just three months later and, in 2010, welcomed a second child, Nelly. By 2016 however, Zoe and Norman announced they had 'come to the end of our rainbow', revealing they had decided to part ways for good after 18 years.
In 2017, Norman opened up about the traumatic year he'd endured during their split, and how his personal struggles had actually led to him making better music. Norman told the Daily Star: "My music and shows have always been about escapism, for people to forget what's wrong in their life. I've done it for 30 years but, because my life was happy, I was providing that escapism for the crowds. And now they're providing that escapism for me. [...] Having hit a traumatic year, for those two hours when I'm on stage, I forget all my worries and I feel like I can escape.".
He added: "A lot of people have been telling me, 'You're on fire in your shows! The worse your personal life gets, the better your DJing gets'. It's because I'm letting off steam. I've made three new Fatboy Slim songs lately, and that's 300 per cent more than I'd made in a few years. Because of my marital situation, I have a lot more time on my hands. Practically, I see less of the kids than I used to, so I have more time to make music.".
In 2017, Zoe found love again with cameraman Billy Yates, who she'd been friends with for years before romance finally blossomed. Tragically, their relationship was cut brutally short after Billy was found dead at his London flat in May of that year. It was determined he had died by suicide. In the 2018 documentary Zoe Ball's Hardest Road, Zoe opens up about her devastating loss and how she wishes she had expressed her feelings towards him more. Zoe shares: "It was just that moment and that feeling of 'Oh my god, I love him so much, we'll find some help, and it will all be okay'. And I wish I'd told him that.".
Recalling the last time she ever saw him, Zoe remembered: "I just thought, whatever it is we have to do, I love him so much we will get through this somehow. He got on his bike and he cycled off and he turned round and he blew me a kiss, and that was the last time that I saw him. And I feel really grateful that I got my goodbye in a way. And I think that was my goodbye.". In December 2017, broken-hearted Zoe began dating Michael Reed, with an insider telling The Sun that the construction firm boss had helped put a 'spring in her step'. The source said: "She has had a tough time of it this year so deserves some happiness.".
