Zoe Ball speaks about her grief ahead of 2nd anniversary of partner’s death
This morning on her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, Zoe Ball spoke about her grief ahead of the 2nd anniversary this weekend of the death of her partner Billy Yates.
Billy took his own life in 2017 after a long battle with depression.
Zoe made an emotional speech on her show, saying: “So tomorrow it’s going to be two-years since our dear Billy Yates died.
“Anyone who has lost someone dear to them, be it a friend or a family member, will know that these anniversaries have a tendency to make your knees wobble and your heart hurt.
“With grief, it’s often an every day feeling not just on anniversaries. The longer the time without them, the more you miss their ways and their voice in your life. Even though of course they’ll never leave your heart.
“The anniversaries are good as they give you an excuse to just spend some time with your thoughts about them.
“Well I wanted to send some love to his dear family today and all weekend, and all his brilliant friends – mates with Yates, who we love to pieces.
“I just wanted to reach out with thoughts and an extra dollop of love to anybody who’s really going through anything at the moment, be it mental health issues, perhaps a loved one is poorly or maybe you’re just having a right old tricky time of it at the moment.
“Life is very tough for many reasons, and when you can, if you are suffering from mental health problems try and be brave, reach out for help from your friends, from your family.
“I can promise you they would do anything for you and it’s not an easy thing to do. Try and remember you’re not alone in this funny old life, cuddle those you love and treasure those memories.”
Zoe then tweeted that she’d been overwhelmed by the response from her Radio 2 listeners and shared phone numbers for the Mind charity, Samaritans and CALM for anyone who might be needing support.
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— Zoe Ball (@ZoeTheBall) May 3, 2019