KIDS TV legend Johnny Ball says his DJ daughter Zoe made a “wrong decision” leaving her Radio 2 show.
Zoe’s dad spoke exclusively to The Sun this week about his daughter quitting the hit programme.
Johnny, 87, said: “Zoe stood down from the breakfast show, so she could see more of her 16-year-old daughter.
“You only have a couple of years, and she’s off to university and gone. Zoe didn’t realise you don’t see anything with 16-year-old daughters anyway, because they’re always out so she realises it was perhaps the wrong decision.
“But, she’s happy she did it, and now she’s got a totally new lease of life. Her career’s fine.”
Zoe quit the flagship show last December after six years at the helm, to support daughter Nelly Cook, 16, through her GCSE’s.
But in May she returned to Radio 2 to front a new Saturday afternoon show.
Now Zoe, 55, has quit that too – dramatically announcing today that she will be stepping down next Saturday.
Emma Willis will replace her from January, saying she was “absolutely chuffed” to be joining Radio 2.
Former Big Brother host Emma, 49, said it was a “real honour to follow in the huge footsteps Zoe leaves behind, who’s someone I admire and adore”.
Johnny is now hatching plans for a new TV show with Zoe and the eldest of his six grandchildren, DJ Woody Cook, 24.
The multigenerational six part series aims to show how numeracy should be scrapped from the national curriculum and replaced with geometry.
“We’d produce more engineers, more scientists, more journalists, and more artists if we learn through geometry, rather than through dreadful numeracy,” said Johnny.
“I’ve got a completely new tack, a completely revolutionary show.
“I’m very fit and I’d like to do it with Zoe and Woody. I think it would be cracking.”
Johnny, recently given the all clear following his prostate cancer battle three years ago, is now on a mission to encourage older people to embrace technology.
He explained: “BT Group have realised that older people find it more difficult to handle modern technology.
“Technology is tremendous. It’s invigorating, it enlarges your life – the ability to communicate with all kinds of people.
“But for older people, it can be a very nervous affair, and banking can be very worrying.
“The whole idea is to take the sting out of it.
“I’m as slow and nervous as anybody else, my daughter does social media and I latch onto hers, so that makes it easier for me.
“My grandchildren are fine with technology too, it’s older people that we’re worried about, people struggling on their own,” added Johnny, who recently celebrated his golden wedding anniversary to second wife Dianne.
