There wasn’t a dry eye in the house for BBC presenter Zoe Ball’s final breakfast show, but it appears she’ll be back on the airwaves sooner than you think with a ‘new show’

Zoe Ball is returning to Radio 2.

The beloved broadcaster had an emotional farewell on BBC Radio 2 back in December as she departed from the breakfast show after six years. Her friend Scott Mills was confirmed as her replacement, but it seems like Zoe herself hasn’t left the station completely, because a former colleague claims she’s coming back.

Zoe had announced her exit from her Radio 2 role in November of last year, and she was overcome with emotion as she presented her final show. However, it has now been confirmed that her dulcet tones will be back on air with a new show for the station.

Fellow presenter Gaby Roslin often covered for Zoe on BBC Radio 2 but has now joined Magic Radio for a new Saturday morning show, and she let slip Zoe’s good news in an interview with inews: “She’s not stepping down”, she revealed. “She’s going to have a new show on Radio 2.”

She added: “She was just exhausted, she was so tired.” 54-year-old Zoe had previously shared on her social media that she was suffering from excruciating pain throughout her shows.

The mum-of-two revealed she has Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ), which can cause terribly painful headaches. Zoe confessed: “I have TMJ and wake most days with awful headaches from tension and jaw clenching.”

Gaby couldn’t give any more information about when the new show will be, and nothing has officially been announced by show bosses for the radio station as to where she will appear in the schedule.

Gaby added: “Zoe and I have been friends for over 30 years so it was lovely to be covering for her”. When Zoe announced the news of her departure, she wrote: “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.”

“You know I think the world of you all, listeners, and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you, to go through life’s little ups and downs, we got through the lockdown together, didn’t we? We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats,” she added.

Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter