Zoe Ball, who is appearing on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? on Tuesday night, has opened up about her heartbreak over losing a beloved member of her family17:31, 26 May 2026Two years on from the tragic event, Zoe Ball, 55, has revealed details of an emotional journey she went on while spending some time away from her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.‌Before ultimately making the decision to quit the show a few months later in December 2024, Zoe took a temporary break from the airwaves in the aftermath of her mum Julia's death in April, following a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.‌Speaking candidly to The Sunday Times Style Magazine earlier this year, Zoe recalled travelling to Scotland not long after Julia passed away, in order to drive solo to the Isle of Skye for the first time.‌The trip was inspired by her beloved mum, who used to sing her 'The Skye Boat Song' when she was little, and later sang it to her grandchildren, who Zoe shares with her ex-husband, DJ Fatboy Slim (real name Norman Cook).Zoe was left slightly disappointed by the weather conditions during her journey, as she shared: "Heartbreakingly it was really low cloud so I didn’t get to see the fantastic views."‌Despite the lack of visibility, the presenter still managed to make the most of it and honour her mum's memory, adding: "I drove around the lochs, playing our tunes, and thought about her lots — how wonderful she was — and I talked to her. I still talk to her all the time.”After scattering her mum's ashes on the Greek Island of Crete alongside her brother, Jamie, Zoe recalled a previous conversation she'd shared with Julia about what to do with her remains.The star said: “The rest of her ashes are on a shelf in my living room. I’m thinking, ‘Mum, where do you want to be?’ She did actually say, ‘Oh, put me in a bin. You’re gone! Put me in the bin.’‌"And we were like, ‘Mum, we are not putting you in a bin.’ I think I’ll take little bits to little places.”Although she laughed while telling the story, Zoe suddenly became tearful, before admitting: “Sorry, I get really emotional. I miss her so much.”‌Zoe was given an opportunity to discover more about her mother's life, and the difficulties she faced in her childhood, as she filmed Who Do You Think You Are? for the BBC.She's previously revealed how she didn't see her mother from the age of five until they reconnected in her late teens. The TV and radio host was raised by her dad, former children’s TV presenter Johnny Ball, and her step-mother Di.Zoe's mum Julia was born to Margaret (Peggy) and William (Bill) Anderson, with Zoe finding out more about Peggy on the genealogy documentary series, including the fact that her grandmother had spent some time in a psychiatric hospital when Julia was a young child.Article continues belowThe star admitted on the show: “I really wanted to talk to mum yesterday, and just be like, ‘Mum, I understand!’ and I would have been able to tell her more about Peggy and what Peggy went through. It’s pretty moving stuff.”Zoe Ball's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? airs on Tuesday 26 May at 9pm on BBC One.