ZOE Ball has moved a new man into her home – a mystery “lodger” who has “won more awards” than she has.
The Radio 2 presenter hinted at a new romance on her Dig It podcast, two years after her split from construction worker Michael Reed.
Zoe, 53, revealed her new living arrangements to co-host Jo Whiley when discussing Christmas gifts.
She said: “I’ve got this thing that I bought online, which is sort of like you hold the handle and it’s loads and loads of different bits of wood and you whack your legs and your underarms with it.
“It really helps circulation. I think it’s quite good for lymphatic drainage.
“I bought loads of them for people for Christmas …”
Zoe continued: “I remember the first time the lodger walked in and saw me doing it, and just sort of turned on his heels.”
When Jo asked if the lodger was “still around,” Zoe replied: “He’s still here at the moment. He’s still lodging.”
Zoe did not reveal the man’s identity, but said he has “won loads of awards.”
Speaking about her own accolades, she said: “I did get a Sony and it was given to me by Marianne Faithfull. I was well chuffed.
“And I think Caner of the Year for something I can’t remember.
“We won a BAFTA for the last ever Live and Kicking, which was amazing. But I don’t even have a copy of it …
“Yeah, the lodger has won loads of awards…”
The Sun has reached out to Zoe’s reps for clarification on whether the relationship is romantic or platonic.
Zoe’s ex-husband, DJ Norman Cook – better known as Fatboy Slim – recently spoke about their continued close friendship.
The pair were married for 18 years before splitting in 2016 and share two children, Woody, 24, and Nelly, 15.
The DJ, 62, recently described Zoe as his “soulmate” while promoting his new photo book reflecting on his music career.
“Zoe is a very kind, thoughtful person and she just had this way of checking my ego, like ‘We are still human beings.
“We are still nice to people,’” he told The Sun.
He said Zoe helped him navigate fame in the 1990s: “In the 90s, I was having too much fun to think about the next day.
“It became a whirlwind, but Zoe helped me through it as she knew that level of fame before.
“It was nice to have a soulmate in there with you.”
Zoe’s last public relationship was with construction worker Michael Reed.
The pair dated for five years before splitting in 2023.
At the time, The Sun reported she had asked him to move out of her £2 million Sussex home after the relationship began to break down.
A source said: “Zoe is gutted but she’s better off without Michael. This is a relief to many of her friends, who think she has done the right thing.”
Before Michael, Zoe dated cameraman Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in 2017 after a battle with depression.
BALLSY MOVE
Zoe sold her countryside pile and moved closer to her ex Fatboy Slim last year.
The fan-favourite broadcaster previously lived there with her ex Michael yet it appeared she was eager for a fresh start.
Zoe called time on her relationship with the model in May 2023 after five and a half years together – with pals at the time saying they had “run their course”.
A source revealed she then traded in life in her rural Sussex home – complete with a swimming pool and tennis courts – for the more “lively” surroundings of Brighton and Hove.
Zoe sold up after the sad death of her beloved mum.
Also in her podcast with fellow BBC Radio 2 anchor Jo, Zoe revealed the heartbreaking impact of her loss.
She told her pal on the podcast last month: “I couldn’t work.
“I was on the floor in the kitchen. I couldn’t, I couldn’t move
“I had a proper emotional breakdown, you know, I haven’t really talked about it actually.
“But it was, yeah, it was brutal.
“I had an amazing doctor who turned up at my door with coffee and bagels and said, ‘so, we need to get you some help’, and he was wonderful.”
She admitted the process of grief was ongoing.
Zoe told how she struggled particularly on the anniversary of her mum’s death and said there was “a lot of crying and pain” that “still has to come out.”