Zoe Ball has officially signed off from her Radio 2 breakfast show after hosting it for six years, in what was an emotional final show.
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Ball admitted right at the top of the show that she and the team had "had some tears already", and that they didn't "quite know what to do with ourselves this morning".
"We’re all pretending we’re going to be OK and that the emotion isn’t getting to us - but it’s definitely getting to us," she continued. "So hold tight!"
Ball said she had "already had a little cry on Patrick [Thomas, producer]", but added that they were going to "have lots of fun today" with the listeners, even if "everything’s going to go wrong because I can’t see the buttons through my giddy tears".
Richie Anderson, Tina Daheley, Zoe Ball and Mike Williams during Ball's last show. BBC
As she signed off at the end of the programme, Ball said: "It's been such a gift to do this show, to follow wonderful Terry [Wogan] and, of course, Chris [Evans], tough acts to follow.
"Pretty cool to be the first lass to host and I won't be the last. Remember, girls, you can do anything."
Ball added that she'll be back in the spring, "popping up here on Radio 2 for new adventures", before finally saying: "It’s been very special, take care of yourselves. Love you my peeps, my top cats."
Earlier in the show, a package had been played of some of BBC Radio's biggest names dedicating their well-wishes to her, to which she said, "Right, that’s it, I’ve gone," as she broke down in tears.
In a statement, Mills said: "Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1.
"She's done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.”
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
