Zoe Ball shares fears for children as she makes painful family realisation

BBC radio personality Zoe Ball has candidly discussed her determination to avoid repeating her parents' mistakes following the end of her marriage.

The Radio 2 host, who is a mother to Woody and Nelly, was married to Norman Cook, better known as DJ Fatboy Slim. The couple parted ways in 2016 after they were together for 18 years.

Their love story began in Ibiza in 1998, but sadly came to a close nearly two decades later. Zoe and Dig It podcast co-host Jo Whiley were responding to listeners' comments when one praised Zoe's handling of co-parenting.

Reflecting on her own childhood experience of her parents' separation, she was determined not to follow the same path.

She was keen to maintain a friendly relationship with the DJ post-divorce, stating: "My parents split up. It kind of really broke my heart to get divorced because I felt like the thing I did not want for my kids is what happened to me."

While it's reported that Zoe's parents didn't remain in contact following their divorce in the 1970s, Zoe expressed her desire to keep a positive relationship with her ex-husband for the sake of their children: "And so when Norm and I split up, we were still friends and it took time. But one of our things, right, we've got to do right by our kids and we've got to make this work for them."

After her parents' separation when she was just two, Zoe resided with her father Johnny and stepmother Di, not meeting her biological mother again until her late teens.

However, after developing a strong bond with her mother over time, Zoe took a break from work last year when her mum, Julia, tragically died following a cancer battle.

In a heartfelt tribute to her late mother on X (previously known as Twitter), she wrote: "Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts."

Zoe and Norman's romance blossomed quickly after their first encounter in Ibiza, leading to their engagement announcement in 1999.

The following year, Zoe gave birth to their first child, Woody, with their second, Nelly, arriving ten years later. However, after 17 years of marriage, the couple decided to part ways but have continued to co-parent their children.

In recent times, it looks like their eldest might be on track to follow in his father's footsteps. The 24-year-old has already secured DJ slots at renowned events like Glastonbury, Boomtown and Brighton Pride.