Zoë Ball on gruelling charity bike ride: ‘I’m grateful to do something for Billy’

Zoe Ball

by Emma Dodds |
Published on

Zoe Ball has opened up about completing her charity bike ride in memory of her late boyfriend, Billy Yates, who committed suicide last year

Zoë Ball has bravely turned one of the worst experiences of her life into something positive.

After her beloved boyfriend Billy Yates took his own life last May after suffering from depression, Zoë of course grieved and took time out of the spotlight - but last month, she took part in a gruelling charity bike ride to raise money and awareness for mental health.

GALLERY: RIP to all the celebs who passed away last year

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RIP to all the celebrities we lost in 2017 slider short

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CREDIT: BBC

Andy Cunningham

Andy Cunningham was best known as the main character and puppeteer on his well-loved children's TV show Bodger & Badger.

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CREDIT: Hughes Entertainment

John Heard

John Heard became a household name after starring as father Peter McAllister in the Home Alone films alongside Macaulay Culkin.

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CREDIT: Getty Images

Peter Sallis

Peter Sallis was a British actor, best known for being the voice of Wallace from the famous Aardman Studios duo Wallace & Gromit.

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CREDIT: Getty Images

Sir John Hurt

Sir John Hurt CBE was a well-known and well-loved British actor. Over his 56-year career, he appeared in over 129 films and many TV roles, with 40 of his characters dying – a record for a mainstream actor.

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Tony Haygarth

Tony Haygarth was an actor from Liverpool. His career spanned 42 years and saw him star in many films and a lot of stage shows, for which he was nominated for Lauren Olivier Theatre Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

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Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell was a musician, best known for being the lead singer of rock bands Audioslave and Soundgarden. He also wrote and performed the theme song for Casino Royale, the 2006 James Bond film which was the first to star Daniel Craig as Bond.

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Bill Paxton

Bill Paxton was an American actor whose career spanned 42 years. Starring in big blockbuster films such as The Terminator alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Aliens with Sigourney Weaver, True Lies again with Schwarzenegger and Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks.

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John Noakes

John Noakes was a TV presenter. He was best known as being the longest-serving presenter of children's TV show Blue Peter, hosting for 12 years and 6 months.

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Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is widely acknowledged as being the biggest pioneer of rock 'n' roll, having begun his career in the 50s when the genre was just beginning to come about.

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Joni Sledge

Joni Sledge was one of the founding members of 70s pop girl group, Sister Sledge, who were known for the massive hits We Are Family, He's The Greatest Dancer and Thinking Of You.

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Gordon Kaye

Gordon Kaye was an actor from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. Although he enjoyed varying success throughout his career, it was in comedy series 'Allo! 'Allo! that he really became a household name.

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CREDIT: Twitter/ Santa Montefiore

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

TPT was the original "It Girl" of our time - she was famous for being famous. She paved the way as a 90s socialite, and everyone loved her.

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CREDIT: BBC

Sara Coward

Veteran Archers actor Sara Coward played her character Caroline Sterling on the BBC Radio 4 show for a massive 40 years.

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Erin Moran

Erin Moran was an American actress, best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham on US TV show Happy Days alongside Ron Howard and Henry Winkler.

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CREDIT: ITV

Moray Watson

Moray Watson was a British actor, most famous for his role as Brigadier Arthur Maiford in The Darling Buds Of May alongside David Jason and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

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Sir Roger Moore

Sir Roger Moore was a British actor best known for playing the iconic role of James Bond in seven of the series' films. With a career spanning 72 years, the 89-year-old actor moved away from acting and became an ambassador for UNICEF in 1991.

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CREDIT: Granada TV

Roy Barraclough

Roy Barraclough was a legendary TV actor whose career spanned five decades. Starring as Alec Gilroy in Coronation Street, he originally started as a bit part in the 70s.

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CREDIT: ITV

Carol Lee Scott

Carol Lee Scott was a British entertainer, best known for her role as the titular character in children's TV programme Grotbags.

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Chester Bennington

Chester Bennington was the lead singer of popular rock band Linkin Park. They enjoyed huge success, winning a multitude of awards.

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Hywel Bennett

Hywel Bennett was a Welsh film and TV actor, possibly best known as the title character in Shelley and as gangster Jack Dalton in EastEnders, who ordered the killing of Dirty Den Watts in 1989.

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CREDIT: Warner Bros

Robert Hardy

Robert Hardy was a British actor whose career spanned 70 years. He has played Winston Churchill many times, was popular as vet Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small – and also starred in the Harry Potter film series as Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge.

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Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell was a country music legend, best known for his hits Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman. He was married four times, and had eight children.

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Bruce Forsyth

Bruce Forsyth was arguably one of the most favoured national treasures that the UK has ever produced. His career spanned across 75 years, and the Guinness World Book of Records recognised him as having the longest television career for a male entertainer.

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Liz Dawn

Liz Dawn was an actress best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in Coronation Street, which she played for 34 years.

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Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner was an American businessman, magazine publisher and renowned playboy. He created the Playboy magazine in 1953, and stayed as its editor-in-chief.

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Tom Petty

Tom Petty was a world-famous musician who was best known as the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He sold more than 80 million records around the world, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Half of Fame in 2002.

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Sean Hughes

Sean Hughes was a stand-up comedian, comedy writer and actor. He had his own TV show, Sean's Show, and quite often appeared as a guest captain on Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

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Iain Rogerson

Iain Rogerson was a British soap actor, and had appeared in most of the big shows - having parts in Emmerdale, Doctors, Casualty, Heartbeat, The Bill and most prominently, Coronation Street as Harry Flagg, a love interest of Eileen Grimshaw between 2002 - 2004.

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Antonio Carluccio

Antonio Carluccio was a world-famous restauranteur who launched the Carluccio's restaurant chain. The celebrity chef, dubbed the "Godfather of Italian cooking", also helped launch the career of Jamie Oliver and was well-known for his appearances on British TV.

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Rodney Bewes

Rodney Bewes was a British TV actor best known starring in The Likely Lads as Bob Ferris with his friend James Bolam.

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Keith Chegwin

Keith Chegwin was a British TV presenter, well-loved throughout the UK for hosting several children's entertainment shows in the 70s and 80s.

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CREDIT: Warner Bros

Heather North

Heather North was an American TV actress, best known for originating the role of Daphne on the universally-loved children's show, Scooby Doo in 1970.

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David Cassidy

David Cassidy was a world-famous musician and actor, best known for his role as Keith Partridge on musical sitcom The Partridge Family and his extensive musical career.

Cycling a whopping 350 miles from her birthplace of Blackpool to her current home of Brighton, Zoë was able to raise almost £1.2m for Sport Relief in memory of Billy.

On This Morning earlier today, Zoë opened up about the reaction to her bike ride, saying: "I wanted Billy’s memory to be more about who he was, an amazing man, and not about how he died. And his has story helped others.

"It was such an amazing thing. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to do something for Billy, for his family and also for other people who have gone through this experience or who are living with mental illness."

But Zoë isn't about to stop there, and revealed that she feels there's still work to be done: "We just need to do more to understand it and make it a subject we can all talk about openly so that it’s not such a taboo.

"I was so moved by the support and the generosity. I’m still getting letters every day.. from people who are going through it or what I’ve gone through or Billy’s family. I’ve been so moved by them opening up to me."

Speaking about This Morning's collaboration with charity CALM’s recent Project 84 campaign, she added: "It was so moving and so powerful.

"And I think anything like that that raises awareness or us stop for a moment and makes us think... That is why we need to keep going."

Zoë has since found love again with businessman Michael Reed, who she recently enjoyed a holiday with to Jamaica and her children.

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Zoe Ball new boyfriend holiday pics

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CREDIT: Instagram/ Michael Reed

Zoe Ball

"M&Z ❤ufe0f @zoetheball @goldeneye"

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CREDIT: Instagram/ Michael Reed

Zoe Ball

"'One Love' for this beautiful sunshine girl @zoetheball @goldeneye #goldeneye #jamaica"

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CREDIT: Instagram/ Zoe Ball

Zoe Ball

"Our "we just met @gracejonesofficial faces" #MOMENT #jamaica #queen #islandlife #goddess #islandrecords #gracejones She is glorious & beyond."

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CREDIT: Instagram/ Zoe Ball

Zoe Ball

"Lickle bit of paradise @michaelreed99 Now back to work! #jamaica"

We're so happy for Zoë! ❤️

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