Zoe Ball returned to her BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show after an unscheduled six-week absence, paying tribute to Jamie Theakston and Lauren Laverne amid their cancer battles.
The 53-year-old presenter passed on the support she’s received to the pair, wishing them well during their treatments.
She told listeners: “I must say, while we’re sending some love, our breakfast friend Lauren Laverne, our mate at 6 Music, is currently going through some cancer treatment.
“She is doing okay but just wanted to send my love out to her.”
The broadcaster also paid tribute to her old colleague, Jamie Theakston, who went public with his diagnosis last week, as she added: “And my dear Live and Kicking, Priory mate, Jamie Theakston who is also having some treatment for cancer at the moment.
“He is going to be okay and he is doing well. Sending so much love to them. So a lot of the love I got to me I am sending back to them.”
The broadcaster, who is the BBC's highest-paid female presenter on a £950,000 annual salary, had been away from The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show since August 8.
Returning on Monday morning, she dubbed herself the "happy wanderer" saying: "I have wandered back. How was your Brat summer? Was it marvellous? Have you been enjoying summer?
"We did that back in the 90s, it was called something different then... bringing back memories."
She added: "I hope you've been enjoying some of the gorgeous sunsets over the last couple of weeks. It's a tad soggy our end this morning. Take it easy out on the roads...".
Ball thanked her colleague and radio presenter Scott Mills for filling in for her, before playing Earth, Wind & Fire's September.
She then read out a message from a listener and responded, saying: "No, I didn't go to Turkey for new face and teeth".
Ball later posted a picture on Instagram of herself with the breakfast show team, writing: “Grand to be back today with this cracking crew @bbcradio2. Big thanks to our awesome listeners for the lovely kind messages.”
There had been no official reason given as to why Ball had been absent for more than six weeks.
Her absence sparked a wave of speculation from fans after she had told social media followers: “See you at dawn,” the night before her first day off in August.
Her mother Julia died in April, 12 weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
It was reported that BBC bosses had told her to take "as much time as she needs" to grieve and they were doing "everything they can" to help her return to work when she was ready.
She confirmed her return to work in a post on X on Sunday, writing: "Back on breakfast bbcradio2 tomorrow morning at 6:30."
Ball took over the Radio 2 morning programme in 2019 from Chris Evans.
She was the first female host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 1998, a post she held until 2000.
She also co-hosted the BBC's Saturday morning children's magazine Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for three years from 1996.
Ball has presented the BBC spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, and ITV's reality competition show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream.
