Zoe Ball reveals what she finds 'sexy' about mystery 'lover' - and it's divided opinion

If you believe the saying, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach - the way to Zoe Ball’s heart might just be through her nose.

The radio DJ and presenter shared that the thing she loves to do with a partner is 'smelling their armpits.'

Speaking on a recent episode of the Dig It podcast she hosts alongside Jo Whiley, Zoe shared - or overshared, perhaps - 'Sniffing pits is sexy though. I've often had this thing, when I've been sort of dating someone, I love smelling their armpits.'

She continued, 'I know it sounds weird, but if you love someone, you've got to love all their smells, not necessarily their bathroom smells. I draw a line at that. But there's something about armpit smells that I think are really sexy.'

If Zoe hadn’t seen her mystery 'lover' for a while, she says her 'favourite thing to do… is when they've got their arms around you, I'm like sniffing in the armpits, and I get a right old look. I'm like, I like that smell. It's a good smell.'

Comparing it to what young sweethearts do, Zoe explained her preference by saying, 'Do you remember doing that thing when you were dating someone, you were young, borrowing their clothes?

'I know my kids borrow their partner's clothes to keep them because they smell of them, which is really lovely.'

It's fair to say Zoe's revelation certainly divided opinion. While many were in agreement, others were definitely not onboard. 'Well Zoe that’s just blown my mind🤢' said one. 'Not sniffing his armpits after a sweaty exercise session!!' said another.

Zoe went on to reveal the bedtime habit she has if her partner goes away. 'I have a thing that if my partner goes away, I don't like to wash the bed until they get back. A) because I'm worried they might not come back, and B) I love the smell. I love the smell of them on the pillows'.

'I really love that. I love the smells. That is always a sign.

'If you go off someone, you know you've gone off them if… the smells you used to love about them start to smell a bit funky. You're like, nah, it's gone.'

Jo Whiley then asked Zoe about her mystery man, asking, 'He's still in your life?'

'He's still here at the moment. He's still lodging,' replied Zoe.

And while she didn’t reveal any identifiable facts about him, she did share that he has won more awards than her, suggesting he may also be in the entertainment industry.

Describing her own awards collection, Zoe said, 'We won a BAFTA for the last ever Live and Kicking, which was amazing. But I don't even have a copy of it… Yeah, the lodger has won loads of awards.'

Zoe had previously been with DJ Norman ‘Fatboy Slim’ Cook for 18 years, before the pair split in 2016. They share two children, Woody and Nelly.

Between 2017 and 2023, Zoe was in a relationship with fashion model and carpenter Michael Reed.