BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball has announced that her mother, Julia Peckham, has passed away following a battle with cancer. Ball shared the news on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, along with the message “Sleep tight dear Mama”. Peckham’s condition first came to light in March, and Ball has been on hiatus from her show since then. In tribute to her mother, Ball posted that Peckham had taught them “how to love unconditionally” and to “always show courage and empathy”.
Ball had previously revealed how she and her mother had been estranged for 14 years after her parents’ divorce when she was just two years old. Her father, TV presenter Johnny Ball, raised her with the help of her stepmother. Ball and her mother reconciled when Peckham invited her to her 40th birthday party when Ball was an adult.
On the day of the announcement, Ball’s friend Gaby Roslin provided cover for her Wednesday breakfast show. She paid tribute to Ball and expressed love and support for Ball and her family during this difficult time. Ball’s son Woody Cook, who she shares with former husband Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), paid his own tribute on Instagram.
News of Peckham’s passing came just days after Ball revealed that her mother had been moved to a hospice as her condition had declined. The presenter had been keeping a low profile in recent months in order to be with her mother as much as possible. There has been no word on when Ball will return to her program, but in the meantime, friends, family, and fans are remembering her mother and sending her condolences
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