Zoë Ball gives her first detailed interview about her late boyfriend’s suicide

Zoe Ball

by Emma Dodds |
Updated on

Zoe Ball has opened up about her late boyfriend's depression and suicide, revealing that she often questions whether she could have done more to help him

Zoë Ball has opened up about her late boyfriend Billy Yates in her most intimate interview since his death.

The Radio 2 presenter, 47, was absolutely devastated after Billy, who she'd began dating in October 2016, committed suicide last May.

She recently completed a charity bike ride for Sport Relief to raise awareness for mental health, and has now candidly spoken out about what happened last May.

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

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RIP to all the celebrities we lost in 2017 slider short

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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.

Speaking to Radio Times ahead of a BBC documentary, Zoë revealed how she is still left contemplating whether she could have done more to help him.

She said: "Even now I sometimes think, 'I’m a resourceful woman, I’m a bright woman... Why could I not save him?'

"And then I have to stop and say, 'Everyone who loved him knew. None of us found an answer, none of us saved him.' To move forward you have to accept that. Which is very difficult."

She also admitted that when she met Billy, he'd already been suffering with depression for a long time, adding that she "didn't know how to help."

She told the publication: "I knew he had lived with depression for a long time, but he was a big strong guy.

"He did the Iron Man, he loved cycling 50 miles a day, he was the life and soul of the party when he was on the crew. He was so much fun.

"To see a man like that ­crumble under the pressure was heartbreaking to watch."

Zoë has now found love again with building firm boss and dad-of-three Michael Reed, who she met just before Christmas last year.

A source close to Zoë told The Sun that although it's "moving pretty fast," Zoë is "head over heels" for Michael.

They added: "He is love-bombing her and really pulling out all the stops to impress her. Although he has a bit of a reputation, her friends are pleased because the relationship has pulled her out of a bit of a hole she was in.

"She is the happiest she has been in a long time which is great – she is back in a good place."

We're rooting for you, Zo!

WATCH: Zoë Ball makes it to the finish line on Day 5 of her Sport Relief challenge in memory of her late boyfriend Billy Yates

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