{"id":184311,"date":"2025-10-08T01:38:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T01:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/184311\/"},"modified":"2025-10-08T01:38:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T01:38:10","slug":"zoe-ball-speaks-out-on-horrific-health-ordeal-that-left-her-struggling-to-breathe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/184311\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoe Ball speaks out on ‘horrific’ health ordeal that left her struggling to breathe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Strictly Come Dancing star Zoe Ball said she suffered one of the most ‘horrific’ symptoms during her time as the host of BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show<\/p>\n

20:26, 07 Oct 2025Updated 20:49, 07 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

\"ZoeZoe Ball described her health ordeal as ‘frightening’ (Image: YOUTUBE\/DIGITPODCAST)<\/p>\n

Zoe Ball<\/a> has opened up about the “really nasty” symptoms she’s endured while navigating the menopause<\/a>. The 54-year-old discussed the topic alongside her co-presenter, Jo Whiley, as they responded to listeners experiencing similar struggles.<\/p>\n

While sharing what has helped her through this challenging period, Zoe also provided a personal health update to fans on her Dig It podcast.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on a particularly difficult phase when she was the host of the BBC<\/a> Radio 2 Breakfast Show, the mum-of-two admitted she relied on anti-depressants to help with her anxiety.<\/p>\n

“I was getting some really nasty random big bleeds,” the former Strictly Come Dancing<\/a> star revealed. “And when I was doing the Breakfast Show, I had horrific anxiety.<\/p>\n

“That was my worst sort of symptom and that involved panic attacks, not being able to breathe, a lot of tears, quite a low mood and it was quite frightening at times.<\/p>\n

“Once I sussed out that was a major cause… because I did go on anti-depressants for a while for my anxiety, but I’m off those now and I’m really glad to be off those, but they did help for a little period of time.”<\/p>\n

Zoe continued by explaining how “difficult” it can be to identify what certain symptoms might indicate, especially when someone has other concerns simultaneously.<\/p>\n

\"ZoeZoe Ball said she suffered from anxiety while a host on BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show(Image: PA)<\/p>\n

After understanding which issues were linked to the menopause, she credited using Bioidentical gel and progesterone as good way of easing her hormones.<\/p>\n

“So the gel has worked for me,” she revealed. “I’ve got lots of friends on the spray, so it’s brilliant because it dries immediately.<\/p>\n

“I found anything less than four [pumps of the spray], I can still be wobbly.”<\/p>\n

Furthermore, Zoe mentioned she has her hormone levels and blood tests monitored by her GP approximately every three to four months to make sure she remains on the right path.<\/p>\n

Providing an update, she continued: “Now, I’ve got a really steady mood which is great. I don’t sort of go whee!, [though] I do sometimes get sad, but you know that’s just life. But hormone wise, I feel so level.”<\/p>\n

As Zoe highlighted during their candid conversation, what proves effective for her might not suit other women experiencing similar struggles.<\/p>\n

\"ZoeZoe Ball issued a health update (Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC\/Ray Burmiston)<\/p>\n

She emphasised: “We have to remember that this is just me individually. Don’t follow what I do people, you’ve got to check your own hormone levels.”<\/p>\n

The NHS<\/a> states that perimenopause and menopause symptoms can differ from person to person. The initial indication of perimenopause is typically, though not invariably, an alteration in your usual menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n

Frequent mental health effects of menopause and perimenopause may include; mood changes including anxiety, diminished self-confidence and brain fog.<\/p>\n

Physical indicators might also feature; hot flushes, muscular discomfort and joint pain, alongside sleep difficulties.<\/p>\n

These symptoms may persist for months or years, and can evolve over time.<\/p>\n

Should you have concerns about any of the above, consulting your GP is recommended for personalised guidance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Strictly Come Dancing star Zoe Ball said she suffered one of the most ‘horrific’ symptoms during her…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[14772,81510,59,102,657,1906,104,23401,1598,27012,56,54,55,2853],"class_list":{"0":"post-184311","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-bbc-radio-2","9":"tag-dig-it","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-menopause","13":"tag-mental-health","14":"tag-nhs","15":"tag-panic-attacks","16":"tag-strictly-come-dancing","17":"tag-talent-shows","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom","21":"tag-zoe-ball"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}