Zoe Ball has revealed she was left in tears after discovering her car had been broken into following a recent appearance on The One Show. 

BBC Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball recently talked about a terrifying incident on the latest episode of the Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley. She admitted feeling somewhat at fault for the situation, as she had left a bag in plain sight on the front seat.

She explained: ‘Someone had smashed the front window of my car, that’s never happened to me before. 

Zoe, 54, said she initially felt ‘a bit frozen’ as she tried to process what had happened and work out what to do next.

Resourcefully, she managed to find a festival-themed poncho in her car, which she used to cover the broken window. 

Ball described how she handled the situation: ‘I wrapped it around the broken door and shut it tight,’ she explained. ‘I thought I’d have to drive from London to Brighton at just 30 miles an hour.’

The incident left Zoe Ball in tears after her car was broken into shortly after her appearance on The One Show (image from her podcast).

Zoe Ball, 54, and her co-host Jo Whiley, 60, discussed the ordeal on their podcast, where Zoe admitted that leaving a bag visible on the front seat may have invited trouble (image from The One Show).

Despite the damage, Zoe said she was able to pick up speed, though her journey home was far from peaceful. 

She humorously noted, ‘I’ve never heard the country show so loud in my ear,’ acknowledging that Jo Whiley’s radio show helped her maintain her composure on the drive home.

Looking back, Zoe confessed that the break-in might have been avoided if she hadn’t left her bag on the front seat. 

Zoe confessed, ‘I’m not very practical, so I’m often unsure of what to do in such situations. Thankfully, they didn’t manage to steal anything valuable, so everything turned out alright.’

When asked if the incident had left her shaken, Zoe confessed: ‘I got in and I had a massive cry.

She continued: ‘Do you know what I did? I did a stupid thing, I was so busy running into The One Show with my suits and my bag and everything.

‘And we were going to do a picture with our Spotify picture (team), which was amazing, and I left a bag on the front seat. Big no, no in London, idiot. Luckily, nothing in it except my diary.’

Zoe went on to describe the emotional release that followed: ‘It was good, I love a big blub. The ones where you wake up in the morning and your face is a bit swollen and you’re like, “Well, I’m glad I got that out”.’

She explained: ‘Someone had smashed the front window of my car, that’s never happened to me before’ (pictured at the BBC studio last week)

When asked if the incident had left her shaken, Zoe confessed: ‘I got in and I had a massive cry’

Her podcast co-host Jo Whiley sympathised, revealing that she too had been a victim of crime in the capital. 

Recalling her own incident, she shared: ‘Just a boy on a bike just literally snatched it from my hand. 

‘And then you having something (happen) like this, it’s just so disappointing that people would do that to another person.’ 

While Zoe’s not a regular fixture on the programme, she has certainly made her mark over the years as one of the show’s trusted guest presenters.

The BBC Radio 2 host has served as a relief presenter on The One Show across several stints – initially appearing in 2012 and 2013, then again between 2016 and 2017.

Most recently, she returned to the show in 2021, stepping in occasionally to co-host alongside the likes of Ronan Keating, Jermaine Jenas, and Alex Jones.

The One Show airs weeknights at 7pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.