Zoe Ball is preparing to reunite with a host of veteran BBC radio presenters today when she presents her first show on Greatest Hits Radio. The former Top Of The Pops host is making her grand return to radio after leaving BBC Radio 2 at the height of her success, quitting the coveted Breakfast Show in 2024 and her Saturday afternoon show a year later.Now fans will be able to hear her dulcet tones once more on Greatest Hits, where Zoe, 55, will host a weekday show 1pm to 4pm. It will see her reunite with former BBC colleagues, Ken Bruce, 75, who hosts the mid-morning show before her slot, and Simon Mayo, 67, who follows her show with Drivetime.Presenters Alex Lester, 70, Richard Allinson, 67, Paul Gambaccini, 77, and Andy Crane, 62, have also moved over to Greatest Hits from the Beeb in recent years. Yet while Zoe will no doubt be delighted to be in the company of old friends, her stint on Greatest Hits also marks a fresh chapter for the BBC veteran. Last year she quit her £520k-a-year Radio 2 show amid a time of personal turmoil, and has spent the past few months working through the tragedies that have beset her in life. Zoe Ball, 55, will reunite with former BBC colleagues as she launches her new weekday show on Greatest Hits Radio. Ken Bruce, 75, hosts mid-morning and Simon Mayo, 67, hosts Drivetime Last year she quit her £520k-a-year Radio 2 show amid a time of personal turmoil, and has spent the past few months working through the tragedies that have beset her in lifeShe later explained how she was struggling to cope with her grief after losing her mum to cancer in 2024, which combined with 'crippling' anxiety from perimenopause made her unable to make it through some of her shows.In April 2024, Zoe's mother Julia died after a battle with pancreatic cancer – with Zoe saying at the time that the family were 'bereft' but would 'hold so tight to each other'.This heartbreak came less than a year after her five-and-a-half year relationship with model Michael Reed was revealed to have broken down in May 2023.Another previous partner, Billy Yates, took his own life in 2017 – coming a year after the breakdown of her 18-year marriage to Norman.Zoe and Norman, who announced their separation in 2016 then divorced in 2020, remain on good terms.The decision to step back from her Radio 2 afternoon show allowed her time to properly grieve the death of her mother, as well as spend time with daughter Nelly, who was going through her GCSEs at the time of her BBC exit. Zoe told friend Jo Whiley on the pair's Dig It Podcast: 'Well, you know how it's been. I lost mum and I really was like, I want to take some time and I want to go and be there for my girl because I've always worked. I've never been around.'After losing mum, I thought, hang on, no, stop, take some time, be there for your girl during her GCSEs.'But Nelly is now 16 and recently moved out of Zoe's home to live with her dad, the DJ Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, gently forcing Zoe to reconsider her priorities.'I've sort of said on the pod, actually, I've been around and she's a bit like, "mum, what are you still doing here?" And she's finished her GCSEs now and she's loving her freedom,' she mused. In April 2024, Zoe's mother Julia died after a battle with pancreatic cancer – with Zoe saying at the time that the family were 'bereft' but would 'hold so tight to each other' Zoe's mother's death isn't the only tragedy she has faced after her previous partner Billy Yates (pictured) took his own life in 2017 Zoe shares two children, Woody, 25, and Nelly, 16, with her ex husband Norman and the pair are still on good terms with the DJ even calling Zoe his 'soulmate' 'Anyway, this really amazing opportunity came up,' Zoe continued, adding that her afternoon show fits in perfectly with home life.'It's a lovely shift, Jo. It's one till four, which is great because it means I get to be mum in the morning and mum in the evening if I need to. I can be around if she needs me,' she gushed.'And I'm following my wonderful friend Ken Bruce and then I'm going into my mate Simon Mayo because I used to do breakfast with Simon Mayo before.'So I've got friends either side and I will be playing great music from the 70s, 80s and 90s at Greatest Hits Radio. They are a lovely team. They're such a brilliant team.''There's a load of old mates there and they've been really welcoming, but it was just too good to turn down. I was like, actually, this is great. So I'm going to be back behind the mic five days a week.'Zoe also explained that symptoms of perimenopause combined with her grief had left her struggling at work. She said on her podcast: 'I started to have panic attacks and I think it was from grief, because that’s when it started for me.’Zoe added that ‘crippling’ was ‘the word’ she would use to describe how she felt, adding that she ‘didn’t really know where to go with it’ as she was reluctant to visit her GP.The presenter said that, for two years during that period, she was on antidepressants to cope with the anxiety and panic attacks.‘I did take them for a couple of years,’ she wrote on Instagram in reply to a follower’s comment. ‘A low dose of sertraline. Via my doctor. Not on them anymore. Talk to your GP. I appreciate everyone has a very different experience.’ Announcing in December that she would be fully stepping down from BBC Radio 2, Zoe revealed she wanted be there more for her children as Nelly prepares to do her GCSEs Yet while Zoe has no regrets about leaving BBC, it's a bold move for the star, who started her career co-presenting Radio 1 Breakfast with Kevin Greening in 1997. She had hoped to remain at the Beeb in a different form – as the host of Strictly Come Dancing – but despite bookies' naming her the front-runner for the role, the former It Takes Two host missed out on the job. Instead, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are set to be replaced by Emma Wills, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe. Zoe was candid about the rejection, saying in May that she had 'worked through the seven stages of grief and rejection'. She elaborated: 'I didn’t get it, but it’s OK. So I made it in the mix, and I had a really fun time having one last little play at a show that I love and adore. 'And I'm so thrilled for the gang that has got it. I think there's been so many eyes on this whole process – everyone's quite relieved now that a decision has been made and the right decision has been made.'She later explained it's all part and parcel of working in entertainment, telling Metro: 'People do shows for a while, and then someone else does a show for a while. 'If Claudia Winkleman hadn’t stepped aside on It Takes Two, I’d never have got to do it. If Emma Forbes hadn’t left Live & Kicking, I would never have got to do it.'So, it’s just a natural progression in radio and television. It’s what happens. It’s wonderful. And you need that evolution in telly.' Zoe is preparing for her fresh chapter, not just in work but in life, after striking up a romance with BAFTA-winning production designer Mathieu Weekes Now Zoe is preparing for her fresh chapter, not just in work but in life, after striking up a romance with BAFTA-winning production designer Mathieu Weekes. It was whilst designing the set for 2023 talent show Mamma Mia! – I Have a Dream that Mathieu met Zoe, who presented the series filmed in Greece. Zoe's last public relationship with construction worker Michael Reed ended in 2023. The couple were first seen together at Glastonbury last June, a week after she first referred to 'my fella' while on Radio 2. Zoe previously opened up on her 'lover' and revealed what she finds 'sexy' about her partner – just weeks after confirming he had moved into her seaside home.The star previously referred to Mathieu as 'The Lodger' during chats about him on her Dig It podcast, where she hinted he can spend months away from the UK at a time. 'Sniffing pits is sexy though,' she confessed on a recent episode, 'I've often had this thing, when I've been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits.''I know it sounds weird, but if you love someone, you've got to love all their smells, not necessarily their bathroom smells. I draw a line at that. But there's something about armpit smells that I think are really sexy.'She continued: 'My favourite thing to often do is sometimes, especially if I've not seen my lover for a while, is when they've got their arms around you, I'm like sniffing in the armpits, and I get a right old look. I'm like, I like that smell. It's a good smell.'Zoe Ball in the Afternoon airs weekdays on Greatest Hits Radio from 1PM to 4PM