Zoe Ball's decision behind quitting BBC Radio job as she returns for special job

BBC Radio 2 star Zoe Ball will be presenting a special programme in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day tonight after she previously quit the station

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Zoe Ball is set to make an appearance on TV screens tonight (May 8) as the host of VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember. The special programme is airing at 8pm on BBC One, and marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe.

VE Day 80 will provide viewers with an evening of live music, tributes, and personal stories from veterans who served in the army. The one-off special comes just five months after Zoe stepped down from BBC Radio 2’s flagship Breakfast Show, which she had hosted since 2019. Ball confirmed her departure from the early morning slot back in November, telling listeners it was "time to start a new chapter".

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The move came after a particularly tough year, as her mother died and she took a six-week break from the show over the summer. On air, she told her listeners: "After six years of fun times alongside you all on the Breakfast Show, I've decided it's time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter...

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"I just want to say I’m so grateful to my incredible boss ladies... they have always been so supportive of me, especially in this job and particularly this year."

Behind the scenes, it’s understood that the decision was influenced by the show’s punishing 4am starts. "Zoe loved being on air," a source said at the time, "but she was never going to be a Wogan who lived and breathed the breakfast show for 27 years."

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Balancing early mornings with home life had become increasingly difficult, and sources claimed Zoe had been considering her exit "for a while". Her son Woody, 23, backed her decision publicly, calling her wake-up times "crazy" and praising her for "a fabulous stint" on Radio 2.

Despite initially denying Robbie Williams' on-air prediction that she wouldn’t be off the air for long, it turns out the singer was right. Just months after her final Breakfast Show, Zoe has returned to the Radio 2 line-up with a brand new Saturday afternoon show.

The new programme launched last Saturday (May 3), and will continue to air weekly at 1pm. According to Radio 2 bosses, it will deliver "the best songs and chat for a Saturday". Zoe herself says listeners can expect "lots of laughs" and upbeat favourites.

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During her first day back on the airwaves, Zoe told her audience: "Oh it's lovely to be back on a Saturday. This is where it all began for me. Back in the day when I used to sweep up and make the teas, I used to do early mornings. Then I did the slot where Rylan is.

"In fact I said to producer Geff, I'll pop in around two and then we'll run things through. He went - 'Uh, halfway through your show love. You might want to come in a bit earlier than that.' And I made it! I made it."

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