ARSENAL travel down the road to take on bitter north London rivals Tottenham for a mouthwatering derby – but two key players haven’t made the trip.
Declan Rice’s controversial red card before the international break sees him miss out. And Arsenal are also sweating on the fitness of Martin Odegaard, who injured his ankle on international duty.
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ZOE Ball’s BBC Radio 2 absence has again been put under the spotlight after a flurry of fan concern – and claims “nobody knows what’s going on” at the station.
Earlier this month, the BBC released a statement on the broadcaster’s future after she “vanished” from her early-morning presenting slot.
Zoe, 53, last appeared on her Breakfast Show on August 8 after a lengthy on-air absence.
She was replaced in-part by former BBC Radio 1 anchor Scott Mills, 51, who promised she would be back “in a few weeks.”
Yet a month after his comments, a fresh wave of concern has been sparked.
A source has told MailOnline how mystery surrounds Zoe’s absence and said: “Nobody knows what has happened but everyone loves Zoe.
“We hope everything is okay.
“Zoe is so loved at the BBC so to not have her around is really noticeable.”
Back in May, Zoe bravely returned to the channel following her mum’s death from pancreatic cancer.
As she battled her grief, she made her comeback before again being ‘taken off air.”
After the switch, listeners were then greeted with the voice of BBC legend Tony Blackburn, who took over the breakfast show as part of a stunt to celebrate 60 years since the launch of Radio Caroline.
Zoe is a familiar voice to BBC Radio 2 early-bird listeners, with her show starting at 630am.
Recently, the publicly funded corporation made the unusual move to directly address her future, and it’s good news for fans.
A spokesperson for the station told The Express: “Zoe will return to the Radio 2 Breakfast Show later this month.”
Yet this hasn’t allayed concern from Zoe’s listeners.
One took to X to remark: “What has happened to Zoe Ball?
Zoe was born in Blackpool and is daughter of the children’s TV presenter Johnny Ball and his wife Julia.
She appeared on television at a young age as part of the studio audience of the Saturday morning children’s show, Saturday Superstore when her father was a guest.
The star began her career in broadcasting as a presenter on the pre-school programme Playdays.
After various behind the scenes roles, she earned a spot as a regular host of Top of the Pops, when she alternated with the likes of Jayne Middlemiss and Jo Whiley.
In 1996, she was chosen to front BBC One‘s saturday morning show Live & Kicking, which led to stints on The Big Breakfast on Channel 4.
But she maintained a huge presence on the radio as she was chosen to be the co-host of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast alongside Kevin Greening in October 1997.
Zoe was later appointed the sole host of the show in a groundbreaking move by the corporation as she was the first female DJ to hold the post.
The presenter chose to leave the station in March 2000 to start a family, where she was succeeded by Sara Cox.
As a mainstream face in TV through the noughties, she hosted a range of huge programmes for ITV, including the Brit Awards in 2002, Extinct in 2006, and both Soapstar Superstar and Grease Is The Word in 2007.
In mid-2002, she returned to radio when she joined Xfm (later known as Radio X), when she was the voice of the weekday drivetime show until December 2003. In 2004, she stood in for Ricky Gervais while he filmed the second series of The Office.
In October 2005, she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Ian Waite, The star impressed viewers with her footwork and the duo waltzed into third place.
In 2011, she returned to the franchise as she took over as the host of the magazine spin-off show, It Takes Two.
She also filled in for Claudia Winkleman on the main show in 2014, when The Traitors star took leave after her daughter suffered serious burn injuries.
After 10 years fronting the show, Zoe announced she was quitting her role on BBC Two in May 2021.
Zoe’s journey in BBC Radio 2 started in 2006 when she fronted specialist documentaries. Over the years she sat in for names such as Dermot O’Leary, Ken Bruce and Chris Evans.
After several shake-ups, she returned to the station on a permanent basis when she took over Dermot’s Saturday afternoon slot between 3pm and 6pm.
In October 2018, Chris Evans moved to Virgin Radio and he personally announced that Zoe would take over his popular slot. She started presenting the breakfast show on 14 January 2019.
“She’s been off the Radio for 5 weeks in total – no mention of her whatsoever the last few weeks.
“I hope she’s ok.”
Another then simply remarked: “Get well soon Zoe.”
THE brave souls booking flights for Friday 13 might be saving themselves a fortune on flying.
Holidaymakers who choose to travel on this “unlucky date” could be setting off on holiday for a fraction of the usual price.
Flight comparison site Kayak has revealed that travellers from London can save a whopping 21% if they choose fly on this day compared to other Fridays.
That tots up to around £99 of savings if you pick the right Friday.
Superstitious Brits have been skeptical about the date for years – so much so that it appears many flyers try and avoid it.
Kayak found that apprehensive travellers have missed out on nabbing cheap flights to Paris, Prague and Krakow for under £100.
Tourists could have ticked off the Eiffel Tower on their bucket list, strolled along Charles Bridge, or wandered about the on of Poland’s oldest quarters on Saturday after bagging a bargain.
For a taste of Scottish fresh air holidaymakers could have booked a return from to Edinburgh from Luton for £88 on September 12.
Travellers could spend half their budget on croissants with £57 return flights to Nantes in France.
For those more spontaneous than superstitious, both booking and flying on Friday 13 can lead you to some of Europeans most desirable holiday destinations.
You can head back to Nantes for more croissants on the same day for £113 or grab return flight to Austria if you fancy mixing it up.
Same day flights from London airports to Austria’s capital, Salzburg, came in at around £187 on the last Friday 13, according to Kayak.
The unlucky date is so widely known as a “bad omen” that it prompted a series of slasher films of the same name.
Featuring crooked Killer Jason Voorhees the spooky film franchise are all based on the concept of Friday 13 being being a day where bad things happen.
The number 13 has been deemed so unlucky that it has even been branded “unlucky 13” in lottery ball draws.
Despite the superstition – there is no evidence suggesting the number, or the date, is lucky or not.
This means if you’re a bargain hunter or a budget holidaymaker, you might want to keep your eye out for the next one.
The most recent Friday 13 has just rolled past, but we are due another one this season.
Friday 13 December 2024 may scare off some, but for intrepid travellers you get your Christmas present early.
In a couple of months you could head to Edinburgh for £35 or you can escape the cold in Milan, Italy, for a mere £42.
Those keen for a Christmas treat can swap out your turkey for tapas in Barcelona for only £46.
