BBC broadcaster and presenter Zoe Ball has revealed she would love to take over hosting duties on Strictly Come Dancing while the hunt for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's replacements continues.
Best known for her presenting roles on Radio 1 and Radio 2 – where she became the first woman to host both breakfast shows – the 55-year-old would make a perfect fit. Not only has she competed on the ballroom floor herself, but she also fronted the spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two for nearly a decade.
What did Zoe Ball say about hosting Strictly?
In an interview with The Times, Zoe admitted that speculation surrounding the show's long-time hosts has been impossible to ignore.
"I think everyone's name is being thrown into the mix," she said. "Obviously, there's part of me that would love to do it. But I will still be watching, whoever hosts it."
Zoe is well aware of the pressures that come with the flagship BBC show. She presented It Takes Two between 2011 and 2020 and even stepped in for Claudia on the main programme in 2014. She also competed as a contestant in 2005, finishing in third place alongside her professional partner Ian Waite, whom she still considers a close friend.
"It's so joyful – and it's live telly, which is another thing that people don't give the girls enough credit for. That show is a beast. Whoever gets to do it has a tough act to follow," Zoe added.
After naming Rylan and Vernon Kay as other presenters she could see taking on the role, Zoe concluded: "Oh, who knows. I've learnt that if things are going to come to you, they come to you. If going on the show with Ian, and ten years presenting It Takes Two, if that's my time on [Strictly], that's all right – I've had a really great adventure."
Zoe confirmed she has not spoken to the BBC about potential hosting duties, nor has anyone else she knows, meaning fans will have to wait for any official announcements from the broadcaster.
Zoe's departure from Radio 2
Zoe became a beloved figure and presenter in British radio, having become the first woman to host the Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows and later the BBC's second-highest paid presenter after Gary Lineker.
It therefore came as a surprise to some listeners when she announced she would be stepping down from her Radio 2 role after seven years last December.
"It's been such a gift to do this show… Pretty cool to be the first lass to host, and I won't be the last. Remember, girls, you can do anything," she told Radio 2 listeners at the time, as she revealed Emma Willis would be taking over.
The move prompted speculation that Zoe's newly freed-up schedule could open the door to a Strictly comeback.
Reflecting further in her interview with The Times, Zoe explained that her decision was partly influenced by the death of her mother, who passed away in April 2024 from pancreatic cancer just 12 weeks after being diagnosed.
She also said she wanted to focus on family life. Zoe shares two children, Nelly, 16, and Woody, 25, with her ex-husband Norman Cook, better known as DJ Fatboy Slim.