BBC Radio 2's Zoe Ball declares 'warfare' on local 'gang' after ditching £2 million home

Zoe Ball has shared her woes about a local "gang" after swapping her lavish £2 million countryside pad for a Brighton and Hove townhouse. In 2024, the BBC Radio 2 presenter bid farewell to her rural Sussex abode in Newick and set up shop in a townhouse, intriguingly right next door to her ex-husband, Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim.

The couple, who tied the knot in 1999 and had two children together, parted ways in 2016 and finalised their divorce in 2020. Since relocating, Zoe seems to taken to gardening but has run into quite the predicament.

According to the Mail, she revealed that she's been locked in "warfare" with a "gang" of foxes, cats, and squirrels that have been making a mess in her garden. Zoe lamented: "I've got this gang of foxes, cats and squirrels that basically s*** in all the borders."

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Despite her efforts of using lemon, thyme, and mulch, the tactic backfired.

She elaborated on her struggle: "The squirrels are now digging up their monkey nuts and the bulbs they nicked off me ... this is warfare."

"I'm going to sit at dawn with a pop gun under a blanket aiming at them. They're bold. They come up to me like a little gang of s****y squirrels."

A source previously told the publication that Zoewas seeking a "bit more lively" environment, having grown "fed up with life" in the quieter countryside.

Zoe Ball's exit from the Radio 2 Breakfast Show in 2024, after a six-year stint, was a major talking point, with Scott Mills stepping into her shoes.

Addressing why she quit, she cited that it was time to "step away" from the "very early mornings" and "focus on family." Fast-forward to this year, and Zoe has returned to BBC Radio 2 with a weekend show.

Additionally, Zoe has opened up about battling "really bad social anxiety". She confessed that her role on the Breakfast Show had been a convenient excuse to avoid social gatherings that made her uneasy.

While speaking on her new Dig It podcast, co-hosted by fellow radio star Jo Whiley, she explained that she was "always slightly in the back" of her head, attempting to think of an excuse of "not being able to go" and saying her previous job was a "great excuse".

Without the Breakfast Show as a reason, Zoe says she can no longer plead the need for an early night. She further discussed her discomfort with social situations, particularly her aversion to small talk.

Zoe admitted: "I am really bad at small talk. It makes my skin crawl. I have had to reverse myself out of conversations when I have said something so weird."