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Zoe Ball has told fans she is “very emotional” ahead of Claudia Winkleman’s final show on BBC Radio 2 tomorrow. Back in December, Claudia announced she will hang up her headphones after three years fronting her Saturday morning show to spend more time with her family.
As her time on the station reaches the end “for now”, Zoe expressed her love for her co-star in an on-air message. After playing Peaches and Herbs’ song Reunited, the 53-year-old told fans she was “having a bit of a moment” as she read out listeners’ messages about the track.
One told Zoe that she was reuniting with her husband after weeks apart, so thanked the host for playing the relatable hit. The presenter told fans the messages had made her “very emotional,” and went on to address Claudia’s imminent departure.
She continued: “I’ll tell you what else that is making me emotional, it’s Claud’s last show tomorrow. Claud… no! Thank goodness for [The] Traitors and Strictly [Come Dancing] so we can get our Claud fix.
“It’s her last show, for now it says in brackets, for now people.” Zoe went on to inform fans that Claudia’s final programme will feature guests Sue Perkins and Joanne McNall, adding: “Oh My Lord, that’s going to be a very funny show.”
In a message to her co-star, she concluded: “So, Claud with you from 10 tomorrow. Claud you know we love you, you know we do! My love for that woman has no bounds.”
Back in December, the presenter announced live on-air that she was stepping back from her weekend slot.
At the time, she told listeners she “absolutely loves” Radio 2, but wanted to spend more time with her children.
“I will miss our amazing guests, our brilliant listeners and the one and only Sally Traffic,” she said in a statement.
“The truth is my children are growing uo inordinately fast so I have decided to follow them around at home before they leave for good.”
“Time is going too fast, my daughter is getting ready to leave home and she was three about five minutes ago.
“I still have a little one who wants to be with me, don’t know how long that will last, and I just need to be at home more. So my news at 10 is that I am leaving,” she added.
The presenter has three children; Jake, 19, daughter Matilda, 16, and son Arthur, 11, with her film producer husband Kris Thykier.
She first joined Radio 2 station back in 2008 when she hosted the comedy quiz series Hot Gossip.
The presenter then went on to host the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show on Fridays and moved on to present her self-titled show on Sunday evenings in 2016.
Most recently, she began hosting her Saturday Morning show in February 2021.
Claudia will be replaced by comedian and presenter Romesh Ranganathan next month.
