Zoe Ball has spoken about her experience with ‘crippling’ anxiety and panic attacks, which left her struggling to work.
The TV and radio star, 55, took a leave of absence from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show following her mother Julia’s death in April 2024 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Then in late 2024 it was announced that Zoe would step down from her morning slot in favour of a weekly Saturday show, which she also later quit in December 2025.
Zoe has now explained how anxiety brought on by the grief of losing her mum, combined with perimenopause left her ‘struggling to get through a show.’
The star was speaking to her friend Jo Whiley on a special edition of their podcast Dig It, which featured a conversation with mental health expert Owen O’Kane about understanding anxiety.
‘For me personally I’ve always been very laid back, I worry about the regular things,’ she explained. ‘But I started to have panic attacks and I think it was from grief, because that’s when it started for me.’
Zoe Ball has spoken about her experience with ‘crippling’ anxiety and panic attacks which left her struggling to work
The TV and radio star, 55, took a leave of absence from her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show following her mother Julia’s death in April 2024 after a battle with pancreatic cancer (pictured in 2010)
‘And then along came perimenopause as well and then I started to have crippling anxiety to the point where I was struggling to work or get through a show. It’s so… crippling is the word.’
Zoe added that it was also distressing not knowing where to turn. ‘I just didn’t really know where to go with it, you go to the doctor and it was that feeling of when you’re in it, not being able to get out of it.’
She added though that ‘I’ve come out of it, I’ve learned a lot about it, I’ve had some brilliant help from some great people along the way.’
Replying to follower comments when a clip of the conversation was posted on Instagram, Zoe shared supportive messages and explained how as well as talking therapy she received help short term with antidepressants.
‘I did take them for a couple of years. a low dose of sertraline. via my doctor. not on them anymore. talk to your GP. I appreciate everyone has a very different experience,’ she explained.
Owen O’Kane’s advice also bought Zoe close to tears at the end of the episode as he reminded her and Jo that at their age and stage in life ‘there is so much going on.’
‘It’s a transitional phase in life, things are happening, kids are leaving home, elderly parents. We are moving toward the latter stages of our lives, we are letting go of being younger, we are letting go of old experiences or letting go of relationships.’
‘We’re letting go of people we’ve lost, it’s never one thing so of course how could we not be anxious in these periods?’
The star was speaking to her friend Jo Whiley on a special edition of their podcast Dig It, which featured a conversation with mental health expert Owen O’Kane about understanding anxiety
Zoe told him, ‘honestly, Owen, I have to say, I actually feel quite emotional listening to you today because I’m just thinking about all the situations and all the people I know who would be really helped by hearing you speak.’
Before Zoe left her breakfast show on Radio 2 she was one of the highest-paid female presenters at the BBC, taking home £950,000.
Since leaving the station she has concentrated on her popular podcast and focused on time with family, including children Nelly, 16, and Woody, 25, as well as her new relationship with boyfriend Mathieu Weekes.
She also recently auditioned for the most coveted role in TV, to be the new host of Strictly Come Dancing, before, refreshingly, speaking out about her disappointment in not getting the job.
Speaking on her podcast last month Zoe, who previously hosted Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, announced she ‘didn’t get’ the gig and was ‘working through the seven stages of grief and rejection’.
