Zoe Ball speaks out on her new boyfriend who she moved in with last year as she reveals she feels ‘lucky’ to have the relationship she does with ex Fatboy Slim

Zoe Ball has spoken out about her new boyfriend for the first time, after sharing with fans that the mystery man had moved in with her last year.

The BBC Radio 2 star, 55, has been sharing with listeners that the new partner, who she calls her ‘lodger’, has been living with her in recent months.

And speaking in a new interview, Zoe confirmed that she does indeed have a boyfriend, but is keeping his identity a secret.

However, she did reveal she feels ‘lucky’ to have the relationship she does with her ex-husband Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, after they split in 2018 after 18 years of marriage.

Despite their split, they have remained close friends with Norman even calling Zoe his ‘soulmate’. 

Zoe shared that even after their marriage has ended, she and Norman have stayed close, saying: ‘I love that he is still out there, playing to the masses. We’ve been really lucky with our relationship. 

‘When he has wanted to do things, I’ve been able to say, ”I’ll be here for that bit.” Just for this next six months, I need to be here.’

Zoe also told The Sunday Times Style Magazine that thanks to her ex’s work schedule, it can sometimes be ‘carnage and chaos’ juggling her own with raising their two children.

The pair are parents to son Woody, 25, and daughter Nelly, 16. 

Zoe’s last public relationship was with construction worker Michael Reed, which ended in 2023, but last year she shared on her Dig It podcast that she’d moved a new mystery man into her home.

The presenter recently opened up about her ‘lover’ on her podcast, saying: ‘Sniffing pits is sexy though.

‘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.

‘Do you remember doing that thing when you were dating someone, you were young, borrowing their clothes?

‘I know my kids borrow their partner’s clothes to keep them because they smell of them, which is really lovely.

‘I have a thing that if my partner goes away, I don’t like to wash the bed until they get back. A, because I’m worried they might not come back, and B, I love the smell. I love the smell of them on the pillows.

‘I really love that. I remember also being a teenager and spraying Kuros or whatever it was, Paco Rabanne. I love the smells. That is always a sign.

‘If you go off someone, you know you’ve gone off them if they suddenly, the smells you used to love about them starts to smell a bit funky. You’re like, nah, it’s gone.

‘It’s gone because you got to love all their smells.’

Zoe previously revealed she had moved a mystery man into her home and that he has ‘more awards than her’.

She said: ‘I think I got a Sony for turning up, which is very nice.

‘No, I did get a Sony and it was given to me by Marianne Faithfull. I was well chuffed, really chuffed. And I think Caner of the Year for something I can’t remember.

‘We won a BAFTA for the last ever Live and Kicking, which was amazing. But I don’t even have a copy of it.

‘I need to get one and put it on the… Yeah, the lodger has won loads of awards…. I need to up my…’

Her co-host Jo Whiley added: ‘Well, you need to get these awards (lodger) and put them on behind you now on the mantelpieces around you. Steal them. That’s fine.’

Zoe joked: ‘Yeah. Maybe I’ll just stop making myself some.’

Zoe’s last public relationship was with former construction worker Michael Reed.

The pair were together for five years before their split in 2023, as sources told The Sun the relationship began to break down after Michael became ‘a bit demanding’.

The publication reported that Michael has since been asked by the TV star to move out of her £1.5million sprawling Sussex home.

The source said: ‘Zoe is gutted but she’s better off without Michael.’

Before Michael, she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in May 2017 after a long battle with depression.