Dating after divorce? Zoe Ball reveals the 'Cilla Black' method for success

During a segment on her Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley, the presenter shared a tip for moving forwards with dating after a split

Zoe Ball at the National TV Awards
(Image credit: Steve Vas/Paul Smith/Alamy)

Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley are the perfect pairing on their Dig It podcast. A solid feature of TV and radio over the last 30 years, their companionable familiarity is a comforting presence when they deliver twice-weekly snippets of advice and laughter.

We've been moved by Zoe talking about facing Christmas without her mum, and nodded along with Jo's candid stories about HRT and menopause woes throughout previous episodes, and are big fans of the couple.

DIG IN: Dating Post-Divorce & A Very 'Indecent' Proposal - YouTube DIG IN: Dating Post-Divorce & A Very 'Indecent' Proposal - YouTube
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Overall, Zoe's advice was to "just go for it." She suggests getting friends to help you put a profile together on some dating apps, even if you don't go any further than just "having a look at who's on there" for a while.

"Take the chance and meet some people," she says buoyantly. "Lots of people say it's quite fun actually," she adds. The presenter wants potential daters to do what they can to park their fear, and "just see it as a bit of fun".

Zoe herself was once married to DJ Norman Cook (AKA Fatboy Slim). They tied the knot in 1999 and separated in 2016. Speaking of her own previous dating experiences, Zoe says that being 5"10 impacted her approach.

"There was a time in my life where I just wanted to date men who were taller than me," she says. "They made me feel safe because they were really strong and they'd look after me," she adds.

However, with age and experience, her stance has now changed. "These days I think 'you love who you love,'" she says.

Returning to her listener's question and reiterating her previous advice about numbers, Zoe concludes, "Just go on a few dates and see how it goes, and prepare to play the numbers game.

"Yeah. Think of it as an adventure," she urges. Let the Cilla Black dating method commence.

Lucy Wigley
Entertainment Writer

Lucy is a multi-award nominated writer and blogger with seven years’ experience writing about entertainment, parenting and family life. Lucy worked as a freelance writer and journalist at the likes of PS and moms.com, before joining GoodtoKnow as an entertainment writer, and then as news editor. The pull to return to the world of television was strong, and she was delighted to take a position at woman&home to once again watch the best shows out there, and tell you why you should watch them too.

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