Zoe Ball has said she was ‘in shock for two years’ after the death of her boyfriend Billy Yates, who died after a tragic battle with depression back in 2017
Radio favourite Zoe Ball has confessed a simple hobby helped her deal with the grief of losing her boyfriend. The BBC star had been dating cameraman Billy Yates for a number of months before he was found dead at his home in May 2017. He died after a lengthy battle with depression, with Zoe admitting she was struggling in the aftermath and was “in shock for two years”.
Now, she has revealed it was gardening which helped her navigate the loss – and it all started with the thoughtfulness of her friends.
Speaking with her Dig It podcast co-host Jo Whiley, the 54-year-old explained: “People bought roses for me when I lost Billy and Billy had tattoos up his arm of roses.
“When we lost him a lot of loved ones went and got the rose tattoo for him so people bought me roses to grow for him, which was such a lovely thing.
“And we’ve talked about, you know, lost loved ones and how wonderful it is when these plants come to life and you know they are always with you.”
Zoe continued: “So that was where it started and I love that garden, it just became a place for me to take time at the end of the day and be able to breath in and breath out.
“And then you learn how wonderful it is to grow something yourself.
“I realised how good it was for me and how much I loved it.”
In May, Zoe paid tribute to Billy, eight years after his death.
It followed another difficult period of time for her, after she lost her mother in April 2024 to cancer.
The Celebrity Gogglebox star stepped back from her BBC Radio 2 show to be with her family afterwards.
Similarly, she took a break from her Saturday afternoon show at the time of Billy’s sad death.
Speaking in 2020 about his death, she said on BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs: “I think it’s so isolating to be trapped in your mind like that, when you doubt yourself, you doubt everything you’ve ever known.
“You doubt your family love you. You doubt your friends care for you.”
She spoke of how important it was to “share there is hope” and remembered Billy with some lovely words.
Zoe said: “He was so full of love and would help anyone in need.”
She dedicated the Frank Wilson song Do I Love You to him, saying: “He loved to dance and loved to laugh and he brought so much into my life.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
