Zoe Ball
About
Television presenter who came to the public’s attention as the first female host of The Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
Early Life
Zoe ball joined the Young Theatre at Beaconsfield where she trained as an actress. Her first TV appearance was as a child in the studio audience of the 1980s Saturday morning children’s show, Saturday Superstore, on which her father, Johnny Ball, was appearing as a guest.
She began her television career as a runner at Granada Television and researcher on BSkyB.
Radio Work
Zoe became co-host of The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Kevin Greening. But she soon became the sole host, the first female DJ to do so.
In 2002 she joined London rock station XFM, where she presented the weekday drivetime show until December 2003. And then in January 2004 took over a Friday evening music show for the station.
Since 2006, she provided relief presenting duties for BBC Radio 2, fronted specialist documentaries, and sat in for Dermot O’Leary.
TV Presenting
Zoe has hosted The Big Breakfast and The Priory on Channel 4, BBC One’s Saturday morning children’s programme Live & Kicking and the pre-school programme Playdays. In 1994 she presented SMart with Mark Speight and Jay Burridge until she left in 1996. Between 1996 and 1998, she was a regular presenter on Top of the Pops, usually alternating with fellow presenters and DJs Jayne Middlemiss and Jo Whiley.
In January 2007, she presented the second series of ITV’s Soapstar Superstar, taking over from Fern Britton and Ben Shephard, who hosted the first series. In March 2007, she hosted the ITV talent search Grease Is the Word.
Alongside Jamie Theakston, Zoe presented Channel 5’s quiz series Britain’s Best Brain in 2009. In 2012 and 2013, she presented four episodes of The One Show as a stand-in for Alex Jones.
Strictly Come Dancing
Zoe became a contestant on the third series of the BBC One talent show Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered by Ian Waite.
In 2011, Zoe Ball took over from Claudia Winkleman as the host of Strictly Come Dancing ’s sister show It Takes Two, airing every week night on BBC Two.