Johnny Ball claims daughter Zoe Ball now has a better relationship with ex-husband Norman Cook than when they were married. 

The former children’s TV presenter, 87, made the surprising revelation in a new interview with Boom Radio – almost 10 years after Zoe and Norman confirmed their 2016 separation.

While the couple were together for 18 years, their relationship was not entirely smooth sailing and they briefly split in 2003 after Zoe had an affair with DJ Dan Peppe. 

Johnny said: ‘They’re very good friends today, you know. They’re great friends. They’re divorced, but they’re better…. 

‘If you like they’re closer today than they were when they were married. And that’s a lovely thing. It’s a lovely thing.’

The former couple share two children together – Woody Fred Cook, 24, and Nelly May Louise Cook, 15. 

Johnny Ball has claimed his daughter Zoe Ball has a better relationship with her ex-husband Fatboy Slim now than when they were married 

The TV personality, 87, made the surprising revelation in a new interview with Boom Radio – almost 10 years on from their 2016 separation (Pictured in 2002 at Glastonbury)

Elsewhere in the interview, Johnny discussed the early part of his career as he reflected on a whopping six decades in the spotlight. 

Daughter Zoe was quick to follow in her father’s showbiz footsteps and made a successful career for herself as a DJ in the nineties. 

It was this work that caused her to cross paths with Norman, who performs and records as Fatboy Slim, while working for Radio 1 in Ibiza in 1998.

Following the couple’s split in 2017, Norman spoke of going through a ‘traumatic year’ and said that music provided him with a much-needed form of escapism. 

He 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.’ 

Opening up further, he admitted that he actually feels like he is a better DJ when he is going through difficult things in his personal life. 

He added: ‘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.’

The former couple, pictured in 2015 with their son Woody, are reported to have settled into an effective co-parenting relationship and Zoe praised Norman’s ability as a father in 2020 to Red magazine, describing him as the ‘best dad’

Following the couple’s split, Zoe entered into a relationship with Billy Yates in 2017, a cameraman who tragically died by suicide that same year. 

She went on to date production boss Michael Reed from December 2017 to 2023 after reportedly growing apart. 

While Zoe’s love life has played out publicly since splitting with Norman, little is known about his romances since their breakup, although he was linked to Zoe’s friend Nicola Lokko in 2018. 

The former couple are reported to have settled into an effective co-parenting relationship and Zoe praised Norman’s ability as a father in 2020 to Red magazine, describing him as the ‘best dad’.

She said: ‘He is such a good friend and a good guy. It’s not always been easy and it’s taken time.’