Two years on from a heartbreaking loss, Zoe Ball, 55, has opened up about an emotional pilgrimage she undertook while taking time away from her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

Prior to eventually deciding to step down from the programme several months later in December 2024, Zoe temporarily stepped back from broadcasting following her mother Julia's death in April, after a fight with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Speaking frankly to The Sunday Times Style Magazine earlier this year, Zoe described travelling to Scotland shortly after Julia's passing, embarking on a solo drive to the Isle of Skye for the first time.

The journey was inspired by her cherished mum, who would sing 'The Skye Boat Song' to her as a child, and later performed it for her grandchildren, whom Zoe shares with her former husband, DJ Fatboy Slim (real name Norman Cook).

Zoe found herself somewhat let down by the weather during her travels, revealing: "Heartbreakingly it was really low cloud so I didn't get to see the fantastic views."

Despite the poor visibility, the broadcaster still succeeded in making it meaningful and paying tribute to her mother's memory, adding: "I drove around the lochs, playing our tunes, and thought about her lots - how wonderful she was - and I talked to her. I still talk to her all the time."

Having scattered her mum's ashes on the Greek Island of Crete with her brother Jamie, Zoe recalled an earlier conversation she'd had with Julia regarding what should be done with her remains.

The star said: "The rest of her ashes are on a shelf in my living room. I'm thinking, 'Mum, where do you want to be?' She did actually say, 'Oh, put me in a bin. You're gone! Put me in the bin.' And we were like, 'Mum, we are not putting you in a bin.' I think I'll take little bits to little places."

Despite laughing while recounting the anecdote, Zoe suddenly grew teary-eyed, confessing: "Sorry, I get really emotional. I miss her so much."

Zoe was afforded a chance to delve deeper into her mother's past, and the hardships she endured during her formative years, while filming Who Do You Think You Are? for the BBC.

She's previously disclosed how she was separated from her mother between the age of five and her late teens, before they eventually reconciled. The television and radio presenter was brought up by her father, former children's television personality Johnny Ball, alongside her stepmother Di.

Zoe's mother Julia was born to Margaret (Peggy) and William (Bill) Anderson, with Zoe uncovering fresh details about Peggy during the genealogy documentary series, including the revelation that her grandmother had been admitted to a psychiatric institution when Julia was still young.

The star admitted on the show: "I really wanted to talk to mum yesterday, and just be like, 'Mum, I understand!' and I would have been able to tell her more about Peggy and what Peggy went through. It's pretty moving stuff."

Zoe Ball's episode of Who Do You Think You Are? airs on Tuesday 26 May at 9pm on BBC One.