Ball opens up about drinking

Radio DJ Zoe thought she'd end up in a 'mental home'...

10:40 19 October 2010

Radio DJ Zoe Ball has revealed that her drinking nearly put her in a “mental home”.

The 39-year-old original ‘ladette’ has said that she thought she would end up in a psychiatric home if she did not kick the habit.

In an interview with Grazia magazine, Ball admitted that days of heavy drinking have taken their toll and she can’t remember “huge chunks” of her life.

When she joined Radio One in 1997 she was happy to play up to her ‘ladette’ image, confessing:

“I started trying to live up to the label. I loved it at first. Hanging out with people who partied every day, woke at 5pm, had a few shots of vodka and a bag of chips, then went clubbing again."

But the former Live & Kicking star revealed that her life took a downward spiral, saying:

"There are huge chunks I donÂ’t remember - or don't want to remember."

BallÂ’s therapist advised her to check into rehab but she was reluctant to go without her DJ husband, Norman Cook, who also had a problem with alcohol.

The mother-of-two now has a weekend show on Radio Two and insists that she and Cook have never been happier.