Zoe Ball lands new job after devastating Strictly Come Dancing snub
Zoe Ball has reportedly made her decision for her next role after missing out on becoming the new face of BBC’s dance contest, Strictly Come Dancing
Zoe Ball(Image: Getty Images)
Zoe Ball has accepted a new role after failing to land the lead Strictly job, according to reports. It’s claimed the presenter is joining a rival channel and will follow in the footsteps of former colleagues, including Simon Mayo and Ken Bruce.
Zoe, who was the voice of BBC Radio 2 until last December, is expected to take up role on Greatest Hits Radio in the autumn. It comes after she put her name forward for Strictly, but was pipped to the post.
Instead, bosses went for a different trio of presenters. Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe were unveiled last month as the new hosts for the long-running contest.
Zoe left BBC Radio 2 in December(Image: BBC)
But away from her disappointment, Zoe has taken the time to seemingly accept a new radio role. A source told The Sun: “Greatest Hits have wanted her for a while and as soon as Zoe found out about the Strictly job, she decided to take it.
“She absolutely loves being a radio presenter, and after stepping away from her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show a year ago, she took time to think about what she wanted.
“She knows so many people at the commercial station and can’t wait to get started.”
Zoe had appeared on Strictly as a contestant before fronting its spin-off show, Strictly: It Takes Two, until 2021. And speaking of her latest snub for the main presenter role, she said on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley that she was “working through the seven stages of grief and rejection”.
But she is anything but bitter and praised the trio for landing the job. She went on to say the show is in “safe hands” with who she believes are the chosen presenters, describing them as “fabulous”.
“I’m so thrilled for them. And hopefully at a later date, we’ll be able to talk about them in more detail,” she explained.
“I was so chuffed to even be in the mix. There were some pretty amazing people who didn’t even make it into the mix.”
Despite huge shake-ups on the show, including the presenter roles, the upcoming series will see the judging panel remain unchanged. Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke will all be returning.
A number of the show’s popular professional dancers will also be returning to the dance floor. This includes last year’s winner Carlos Gu, 2024’s champion Dianne Buswell, Nikita Kuzmin, Katya Jones, Johannes Radebe and Alexis Warr.
Five professionals announced their departures from the show, however. Those leaving are Gorka Márquez, Karen Hauer, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Nadiya Bychkova.
