EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
FROM ‘STRICTLY’ DANCING QUEEN TO WINNER TAKES IT ALL
LOOKS FORWARD TO BEING ON THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY WITH NEW TALENT SHOW
Zoe Ball finds time is slipping through her fingers as she remembers when she was seven years old and dancing to Abba at her friend’s house. The memory is particularly timely, as the broadcaster is host of new talent show Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream.
“It was a dream job for me,” she exclusively tells hello! as her mind wanders back to being a young girl growing up in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire, as the child of renowned children’s TV presenter and entertainer Johnny.
“I’ve always loved Abba since I was seven years old. I used to do dance routines with my friends at my friend Claire’s house in the front room. I still remember our Voulez-Vous routine to this very day.”
Fast forward to today and 52-year-old Zoe lives happily in rural Sussex with her children Woody, 22, and Nelly, 13, from her marriage to DJ Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim. The couple announced in 2016 that they had “come to the end of our rainbow” after 17 years of marriage, but she says that, between their busy lives, they make co-parenting work.
Nelly was incredibly excited for Zoe’s latest gig on ITV1’s eight-part series, which follows musical hopefuls competing for the West End theatre roles of Sophie and Sky (as played by Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper in the big-screen version).
SUPER TROUPER
“Nelly came out for a couple of days to watch the show being recorded and watch them perform. She absolutely loved the dancers, and she got to meet [creator and producer] Judy Craymer, who is the most rock’n’roll fabulous lady,” Zoe enthuses of their time on set in Corfu. “Nell is pretty good at drama and she does dancing and loves Abba, so this was major brownie points for me. Judy gave her loads of Mamma Mia! goodies and it was fabulous.”
Zoe sets the scene for the new show’s idyllic location: “We have this really lovely stage outside the villa and then all these lovely locals come to sit around and watch their performances in the evening. It’s a proper show… and then the judges have the tricky task of deciding who is going to go through.”
Zoe has heaps of praise for the judges: West End star Samantha Barks, singer-songwriter Jessie Ware, TV personality Alan Carr and Olivier Award winner Amber Riley.
Samantha first found fame as a runner-up on the Oliver!-based talent show I’d do Anything and Zoe says: “Samantha has been through this experience and she kept reminding the Sophies and Skys that actually she didn’t win I’d D
