Zoe Ball‘s mystery boyfriend has been revealed after months of teasing from the star about her ‘sexy’ new man.
A smiling Zoe, 55, was spotted snuggling up to BAFTA-winning production designer Mathieu Weekes, 49, during a coastal stroll near the Brighton home the TV presenter moved her beau into last year.
Bundled up in a beanie hat and animal-print scarf, Zoe beamed as she walked arm in arm with Mathieu in her home town.
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mathieu is an award-winning production designer who has worked on hit shows including The Traitors, I’m A Celeb, for which he won a 2021 BAFTA, Love Island and Squid Game: The Challenge.
It was whilst designing the set for 2023 talent show Mamma Mia! – I Have a Dream that Mathieu met Zoe, who presented the series filmed in Greece. Zoe’s last public relationship with construction worker Michael Reed ended in 2023.
He previously lived in Richmond and still owns a home there.
Last month Zoe opened up on her ‘lover’ and revealed what she finds ‘sexy’ about her partner – just weeks after confirming he had moved into her seaside home.
Zoe Ball’s mystery boyfriend has been revealed after months of teasing from the star about her ‘sexy’ new man
Zoe, 55, was spotted snuggling up to BAFTA-winning production designer Mathieu Weekes, 49, during a low-key stroll near the Brighton home the TV star moved her beau into last year
The star, who dramatically quit her Radio 2 show in December to spend more time with her loved ones, previously referred to Mathieu as ‘The Lodger’ during chats about him on her Dig It podcast which she co-hosts with pal Jo Whiley, where she hinted he can spend months away from the UK at a time.
‘Sniffing pits is sexy though,’ she confessed on a recent episode, ‘I’ve often had this thing, when I’ve been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits.’
‘I know it sounds weird, but if you love someone, you’ve got to love all their smells, not necessarily their bathroom smells. I draw a line at that. But there’s something about armpit smells that I think are really sexy.’
She continued: ‘My favourite thing to often do is sometimes, especially if I’ve not seen my lover for a while, is when they’ve got their arms around you, I’m like sniffing in the armpits, and I get a right old look. I’m like, I like that smell. It’s a good smell.
‘Do you remember doing that thing when you were dating someone, you were young, borrowing their clothes? I know my kids borrow their partner’s clothes to keep them because they smell of them, which is really lovely.
‘I have a thing that if my partner goes away, I don’t like to wash the bed until they get back. A, because I’m worried they might not come back, and B, I love the smell. I love the smell of them on the pillows.
‘I really love that. I remember also being a teenager and spraying Kuros or whatever it was, Paco Rabanne. I love the smells. That is always a sign.
Bundled up in a beanie hat and animal-print scarf, Zoe beamed as she walked arm in arm with Mathieu in her home town
The Daily Mail can reveal that Mathieu is an award-winning production designer who has worked on hit shows including The Traitors and I’m A Celeb, for which he won a 2021 BAFTA
The star, who dramatically quit her Radio 2 show in December to spend more time with her loved ones, previously referred to Mathieu as ‘The Lodger’ during chats about him on her podcast
‘If you go off someone, you know you’ve gone off them if they suddenly, the smells you used to love about them starts to smell a bit funky. You’re like, nah, it’s gone.
‘It’s gone because you got to love all their smells.’
After graduating from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Zoe’s boyfriend Mathieu began his career as a scenic carpenter before founding his company Bizibot in 2012, and going on to work on some of the biggest shows in British telly.
He earned a BAFTA Craft Award for the 2021 series of I’m A Celeb and has also earned Emmy nominations.
Zoe previously revealed that her mystery boyfriend had ‘more awards than her’ during another conversation on Dig It.
Last month Zoe opened up on her ‘lover’ and revealed what she finds ‘sexy’ about her partner – just weeks after confirming he had moved into her seaside home
‘Sniffing pits is sexy though,’ she confessed on a recent podcast episode, ‘I’ve often had this thing, when I’ve been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits’
She continued: ‘My favourite thing to often do is sometimes, especially if I’ve not seen my lover for a while, is when they’ve got their arms around you, I’m like sniffing in the armpits’
After graduating, Zoe’s boyfriend Mathieu began his career as a scenic carpenter before founding his company Bizibot in 2012, and going on to work on some of the biggest shows in British telly
‘He’s still around. He’s still in your life?’ Jo asked her on a recent episode. ‘He’s still here at the moment. He’s still lodging,’ replied Zoe.
While the presenter did not reveal the name of her lodger, she explained how he has more awards than her.
Speaking about her awards stash at home, she said: ‘I think I got a Sony for turning up, which is very nice.
‘No, I did get a Sony and it was given to me by Marianne Faithfull. I was well chuffed, really chuffed. And I think Caner of the Year for something I can’t remember.
‘We won a BAFTA for the last ever Live And Kicking, which was amazing. But I don’t even have a copy of it.
He earned a BAFTA Craft Awards for the 2021 series of I’m A Celeb and has also earned Emmy nominations
Zoe previously revealed that her mystery boyfriend had ‘more awards than her’ during another conversation on Dig It
It was whilst working on the set design for 2023 talent show Mamma Mia! – I Have a Dream that Mathieu met Zoe, who presented the series filmed in Greece
Mathieu previously shared this picture of his Bizbot team on Instagram (pictured fourth from left)
‘I need to get one and put it on the… Yeah, the lodger has won loads of awards…. I need to up my…’
Jo added: ‘Well, you need to get these awards (lodger) and put them on behind you now on the mantelpieces around you. Steal them. That’s fine.’
Zoe joked: ‘Yeah. Maybe I’ll just stop making myself some.’
During an interview with The Sunday Times last weekend Zoe confirmed she had a new boyfriend whilst gushing about the success of her enduring relationship with ex husband Norman Cook.
Zoe and Norman, also known as Fatboy Slim, split in 2018 after 18 years of marriage. The pair are parents to son Woody, 25, and daughter Nelly, 16.
Despite their split, they have remained close friends with Norman even calling Zoe his ‘soulmate’.
During an interview with The Sunday Times last weekend Zoe confirmed she had a new boyfriend whilst gushing about the success of her enduring relationship with ex husband Norman Cook (pictured with their son Woody, their daughter Nelly and Woody’s girlfriend)
Zoe shared that even after their marriage has ended, she and Norman have stayed close and managed to juggle co-parenting alongside their busy careers ‘We’ve been really lucky with our relationship,’ she said.
‘When he has wanted to do things, I’ve been able to say, “I’ll be here for that bit.” Just for this next six months, I need to be here.’
In December Zoe stepped away her Radio 2 weekend show after just seven months, after previously quitting the coveted Breakfast Show slot in late 2024.
She has explained that the move away from radio was in part due to the grief of losing her beloved mother Julia Peckham in April 2024 after a short battle with cancer with the star calling the months after her death ‘a crazy, awful, hideous nightmare’.
Her grief caused her to reassess her career path and hone in on her family relationships.
‘The aftermath was really tough,’ she told The Times, ‘and for a lot of people that’s when the wheels come off. I did just think, “what are you doing, kid? Where are we going with everything?”‘
Zoe’s last public relationship was with former construction worker Michael Reed (pictured together in 2021)
Before Michael, she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in May 2017 after a long battle with depression (Zoe and Billy pictured together)
Zoe’s last public relationship was with former construction worker Michael Reed.
The pair were together for five years before their split in 2023, as sources told The Sun the relationship began to break down after Michael became ‘a bit demanding’.
Before Michael, she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in May 2017 after a long battle with depression.
