Australian singer Kylie Minogue, Doctor Who actor David Tennant and her Radio 2 successor Scott Mills are among the stars celebrating Zoe Ball as she presents her final Breakfast Show.
Minogue, 56, sent a recorded message and thanked Ball, 54, as she reminisced about their encounters over the last few years.
Ball announced last month she was leaving the Breakfast Show, saying it was time for her to “step away from the very early mornings and focus on family”.
Minogue said: “Hi Zoe, it’s Kylie. Thank you for an incredible six years. The nation loves you and I love you, and every time I’ve been in to see you, it’s been so much fun.
“You’ve been part of some of the biggest and best memories I’ve had in the last six years.
“In 2019 you spoke to me before my legends slot at Glastonbury, you were there for the disco era in 2020 and you were the first person anywhere in the world to play Padam Padam and kick start the ‘Padamic’.
“We’ve danced around the studio, you, me and your fabulous prod squad, shout out to them, it has all happened with you Zoe.
“You’re the best, we’re all going to miss you but ‘bye bye morning alarm, you were great for six years but no more’.
“Zoe I wish you all the love, success and joy and everything you want moving on, we love you”.
You're our friend, a friend to all of us, and in the last few years in particular, an arm round the shoulder when we really needed it. And you also make it seem really easy, so no pressure!
Ball kicked off her final programme with Daft Punk’s One More Time after teasing that she might sing a song from a musical instead.
She began the programme in an upbeat mood, quoting adapted lines from Les Miserables’ One Day More, telling listeners: “Another day, another destiny, one final show from me, ZB… only joking I’m not going to sing, let’s have some Daft Punk.”
Later, former Doctor Who actor Tennant said: “Hello Zoe, Dame Zoe Ball, David Tennant here in London. You’ve been so amazing over the last six years.
“Oh my Lord, the country’s going to miss you, the best person to have breakfast with.
“Thank you for letting me come on to your show multiple times and annoy you.
“Who can forget when you forced me to do a dramatic reading of Man! I Feel Like A Woman! into the very eyes of Shania Twain herself.
“I certainly can’t forget it, indeed, neither can Shania. She loved it, she sent me a hat inspired by that moment.
“Come on, let’s have three big karaoke belters for the final 7.33 (song feature), come on, Zoe. Love you Zoe Ball, bye.”
She replied: “Love you David Tennant, oh that’s so brilliant David, so much love to you and your family. Merry, merry Christmas to you all.”
England footballer Alessia Russo sent a “massive thank you for all the support you’ve given the Lionesses”.
Ball said she still has “tears in my eyes when I hear those clips of the girls”.
She also said to newsreader Tina Daheley: “We have gone through a lot together, we really have, and I have to say, listeners, it’s been an absolute privilege.”
Then Ball played her final Pick Your Own Playlist, where listeners choose the songs, which included Aretha Franklin’s Respect, Andrew Gold’s Thank You For Being A Friend, and Tina Turner’s The Best.
From January, Scott Mills will take over the breakfast show and his previous weekday slot of 2pm to 4pm will be filled by Trevor Nelson.
In a video montage of messages for Ball, Mills said: “You’re our friend, a friend to all of us, and in the last few years in particular, an arm round the shoulder when we really needed it.
“And you also make it seem really easy, so no pressure!”.
BBC radio and TV presenter Rylan Clark said: “I’m going to miss waking up with you every single morning, I know our boy Scott’s gonna do you proud and for goodness sake, get some line-in’s nana! I love you dearly and can’t wait for a massive cuddle”.
Reading out some “five-word weekends”, where listeners sum up their weekends in short form, Ball said one of her plans was: “Having a good old blub.”
After hearing a collection of tributes from various fellow BBC radio DJs, Ball became emotional saying “get the tissues” as she played Led Zeppelin’s Ramble On, which she described as “my theme tune”.
Ball, the daughter of children’s TV presenter Johnny Ball, began presenting The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show almost six years ago in January 2019, taking over from radio presenter Chris Evans and becoming the first woman to present the show.
She will return to the airwaves to present two episodes of Zoe Ball’s Christmas Crooners, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Ball took a break from hosting her breakfast show over the summer and returned in September.
Ball was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/24 with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, ranking her second on the list of top-earning talent behind Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.
