Zoe Ball paid a touching tribute to her late mother on what would have been the first birthday since her passing. The BBC Radio 2 host, 53, announced earlier this year that her mother Julia had died at the age of 74 in April following a battle with cancer.

She shared a picture of her mother beaming on Instagram, accompanied by an emotional message. She wrote, "Happy heavenly birthday, Mama.your beautiful beaming smile shines down on our hearts always, but losing you is harder than I could ever have imagined. Holding on so tight, letting the tears come & wishing on the stars."

The tribute was inundated with messages of support from celebrities and fans. Ruth Langsford of Loose Women replied with a message of love and virtual hug. Gaby Roslin, who had stood in for the former presenter at the station by covering her radio show, sent tight hugs and love. Other stars, including Claudia Winkleman, Denise Van Outen, and Rylan Clark responded with hearted emojis.

Back in April, Zoe shared the sad news of her mother's passing from pancreatic cancer. She had documented most of her mother's journey before this announcement, sharing when she had moved into a hospice. Zoe paid homage to her mother for her strength amidst struggles with illness and turned her attention to her strength and life lessons.

"Sleep tight, dear Mama. Thank you for teaching us how to love unconditionally, to always show courage and empathy, and how, even in the darkest of days, laughter is the greatest of gifts. We are bereft without you but will hold so tight to each other. Your grace & your smile that lit up every room you were in will light the stars to guide us," she penned in her tribute.

Zoe's son, Woody Cook, paid tribute to his grandmother in the form of a picture that thanked her for all her love and kindness and revealed how she was the only person to send him a Valentine's card every year.

Zoe has lost and faced so much in the past few years. Her divorce from Norman Cook, also known as DJ Fatboy Slim, was followed by finding her love once more in her partner Billy Yates. Sadly, in 2017, Billy committed suicide while suffering from depression, to which Zoe said she was in shock for two years.

Even with all these adversities, Zoe has not given up looking for ways to pay homage to her loved ones. She recently did a Sport Relief challenge, in which she cycled 350 miles in just five days as her way of raising attention towards mental health issues in memory of Billy.

Undergoing such trying times, Zoe still feels and acknowledges the love and support from friends, family, and fans.