For years, Zoe Ball has shared her voice with the nation, but this week she surprised listeners by opening a rare window into her private world — and the man quietly living under her roof.
Speaking candidly on her Dig It podcast alongside longtime friend Jo Whiley, the 55-year-old presenter revealed that her affection for her so-called “lodger” goes far deeper than casual companionship.
Though she stopped short of defining their relationship, Zoe admitted that when he’s away, she misses something surprisingly intimate: his natural scent.
“It’s the little things you fall for”
Laughing as she spoke, Zoe confessed she has always been drawn to the way someone smells when she cares about them — even joking that armpits can be strangely attractive when you truly love a person.
“There’s a point when you know a relationship is fading,” she explained. “It’s when the smells you once adored suddenly don’t feel right anymore.”
She added that she often leaves the bed unwashed when he travels, not only because she enjoys the lingering familiarity, but because it makes his absence feel less real.
From awkward moments to shared routines
Zoe also shared a humorous snapshot of domestic life, recalling the time her lodger walked in on her vigorously using a wooden massage brush to boost circulation.
“He just turned around and walked straight back out,” she laughed — confirming that, awkward moment or not, he is still very much part of her daily world.
Speaking on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, Zoe said: ‘Sniffing pits is sexy though. ‘I’ve often had this thing, when I’ve been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits’
The presenter, 54, was previously married to Fatboy Slim DJ Norman Cook, 62, for 18 years before their split in 2016 (pictured in 1999)
A partner with a mystery résumé
While Zoe has kept his identity under wraps, she hinted that her housemate is no stranger to success, teasing that he has collected more professional awards than she has over her own glittering career.
She joked that perhaps it’s time she started displaying his trophies on the mantelpiece.
A new chapter after heartbreak
Following the end of her relationship with Michael Reed in 2023, Zoe appears to be embracing a quieter, more personal phase — one built not on headlines, but on shared space, gentle humour and small, meaningful habits.
Whether “The Lodger” is a lover, a partner or something in between, one thing is clear: in this new chapter of her life, it’s the unseen details — the laughter, the comfort, even the scent on a pillow — that mean the most.
