Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim's rocky relationship now - affair with pal to co-parenting

Zoe Ball, whose ongoing absence from Radio 2 has sparked concern among regular listeners, was once part of one of the coolest couples of the late '90s.

The beloved broadcaster, who has taken a five-week hiatus from the Breakfast Show, used to be married to Norman Cook - aka Fatboy Slim - and their rollercoaster relationship very much defined the era in which they both shot to fame. The summer of 1997 proved to be a fateful one for the former couple.

Zoe, now 53, had flown out to the dance music capital of Ibiza, where she and Norman collaborated on a show for BBC Radio 1. Sparks flew in the Spanish sunshine and, bonded by a shared love of music, the pair fell head over heels - tying the knot two years later at Somerset's extraordinarily romantic Babington House.

In the first year of the new Millennium, the happy couple welcomed their son Woody - who has since gone on to follow in his dad's DJ-ing footsteps. The years that followed their fairytale wedding weren't exactly smooth sailing and, in 2003, the pair briefly separated after Norman, now 61, discovered Zoe had been unfaithful with his pal DJ Dan Peppe.

They reconciled just three months later and, in 2010, welcomed a second child, Nelly. By 2016 however, Zoe and Norman announced they had 'come to the end of our rainbow', revealing they had decided to part ways for good after 18 years. Here, the Mirror looks at the stars' post-divorce relationship eight years on...

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'Traumatic' year

In 2017, Norman opened up about the traumatic year he'd endured during their split, and how his personal struggles had actually led to him making better music. Norman told the Daily Star: "My music and shows have always been about escapism, for people to forget what's wrong in their life.

"I've done it for 30 years but, because my life was happy, I was providing that escapism for the crowds. And now they're providing that escapism for me. [...] Having hit a traumatic year, for those two hours when I'm on stage, I forget all my worries and I feel like I can escape."

He added: "A lot of people have been telling me, 'You're on fire in your shows! The worse your personal life gets, the better your DJing gets'. It's because I'm letting off steam. I've made three new Fatboy Slim songs lately, and that's 300 per cent more than I'd made in a few years.

"Because of my marital situation, I have a lot more time on my hands. Practically, I see less of the kids than I used to, so I have more time to make music."

New partners

In 2017, Zoe found love again with cameraman Billy Yates, who she'd been friends with for years before romance finally blossomed. Tragically, their relationship was cut brutally short after Billy was found dead at his London flat in May of that year. It was determined he had died by suicide.

In the 2018 doc Zoe Ball's Hardest Road, Zoe opened up about her devastating loss, and how she wished she expressed her feelings towards him more. Zoe shared: "It was just that moment and that feeling of 'Oh my god I love him so much, we'll find some help and it will all be okay'. And I wish I'd told him that."

Recalling the last time she ever saw him, Zoe remembered: "I just thought, whatever it is we have to do, I love him so much we will get through this somehow. He got on his bike and he cycled off and he turned round and he blew me a kiss, and that was the last time that I saw him. And I feel really grateful that I got my goodbye in a way. And I think that was my goodbye."

In December 2017, broken-hearted Zoe began dating Michael Reed, with an insider telling The Sun that the construction firm boss had helped put a 'spring in her step'. The source said: "She has had a tough time of it this year so deserves some happiness."

Five and a half years later, in May 2013, Zoe and Michael's romance came to an end, with the pair having 'drifted apart'. A source said: "Zoe is gutted. This is a relief to many of her friends, who think she has done the right thing. They were arguing over really silly things and it all got a bit too much for her.

"They had a wonderful romance at first and Michael was a real gent. But in recent months they started spending a lot less time together, went away on separate holidays, and drifted apart. Now it seems the relationship has finally run its course. She asked him to move out and he has done so, although they have remained on good terms. Hopefully, Zoe will move on and find the happiness she deserves."

Less is known about Norman's love life after the split. In 2018, The Sun reported that the DJ had moved on with Zoe's close friend Nicola Lokko, leaving her 'freaked out'. An insider claimed: "Norman deserves to be happy, but his choice of partner has upset the apple cart."

Co-parenting as a team

Zoe and Norman have regularly been praised for their refreshingly amicable approach to co-parenting, but it hasn't always been easy. Describing Norman as 'the best dad' during a candid 2020 interview with Red magazine, mum-of-two Zoe admitted: "He [Norman Cook] is such a good friend and a good guy. It’s not always been easy and it’s taken time. He’s been through a lot, I’ve been through a lot, but now we’re in a great place as parents together.”

She added: "We do sometimes look at them [their childen] and go, 'Wow, despite what we've been through, we made it' because they're brilliant kids."

The couple are also united when it comes to protecting their kids from the pressures of life lived in the public eye. In 202, Norman opened up about his and Zoe's horror after son Woody expressed an interest in going on Channel 4's The Circle. Norman told the Mirror: "Me and his mother both thought it could be a potentially terrible idea. We didn't really want him to do it. The thing is, we spent all our lives trying to keep him out of the limelight and trying to protect him.

"Then the first chance he dives straight into that whole maelstrom that we tried to protect him from, but I suppose it's in his genes."

Post-divorce friendship and on-air jokes

Nowadays, Zoe and Norman have put their past difficulties aside and enjoy a close friendship - and they're even able to make cheeky jokes about their marriage. In June 2023, ahead of Glastonbury, the Praise You hitmaker appeared on Zoe's radio show - where Zoe very nearly forgot his name.

Introducing her ex to listeners, radio host Zoe said "I now welcome to the show somebody you may know from The Housemartins, Pizzaman, Beats International – I nearly forgot what you were called then, sorry." To which Norman replied: "And such things as our marriage." Responding playfully, Zoe said: "And such things as our marriage. It is Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook."

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