Zoe Ball marks one year since mother’s death, saying: I miss you beyond words

Zoe Ball has said she misses her mother “beyond words” as she marked the first anniversary of her death.

The BBC Radio 2 DJ, 54, announced the death of Julia Peckham last year, after revealing that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

Ball said at the time her mother taught her “how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts”.

On Wednesday, Ball posted several pictures of Ms Peckham, and wrote: “Miss you beyond words Mama.

“One year today.”

Last year, the DJ took leave so Gaby Roslin could “occasionally” replace her on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show while she spent time with her mother, who was later taken to a hospice.

The presenter later returned before taking a summer break, briefly coming back on August 8 before having another leave of absence.

Ball, who is the BBC’s highest paid on-air female star, returned in September, and then revealed in November she would be leaving.

She then announced she had a temporomandibular joint disorder, which affects the movement of the jaw, according to the NHS.

The presenter said that she wakes up most days with “awful headaches” due to the condition, which causes pain in the jaw joint and surrounding muscles.

Ball left her breakfast show at the end of last year, having been at the helm since 2019. Her fellow Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills took over the early morning slot.

She is set to return to the airwaves in May to host a new weekly Radio 2 show, from 1pm to 3pm on Saturdays.

Ball is also the daughter of former Play School and Think Of A Number presenter Johnny Ball, who appeared in More4’s The Baby Boomers’ Guide To Growing Old, and 5’s The Terry And Gaby Show.