Dad's Why I Love Books

Zoe Ball on how her father, presenter Johnny Ball, inspired her to turn us into a nation of bookworms…

- Rebecca Fletcher

ENTERTAINMENT

Zoe Ball on Sunday

SUNDAY / ITV / 8.30AM

Zoe Ball can’t get her words out fast enough, she’s so excited. Fans of her weekend shows, Zoe Ball on Saturday and Zoe Ball on Sunday, know enthusiasm is her middle name, so it’s no surprise that she’s bursting to tell us about her new book club.

‘I’m ridiculously excited,’ grins the bubbly presenter during an exclusive interview with TV Times. ‘We’ve chosen 10 cracking reads [see our box, right] and are asking viewers to read all 10 over 10 weeks and join in with the chat. It sounds a lot, but it’s the perfect excuse to all give ourselves a bit of precious time.

‘I’ve got a beautiful garden and to just sit there reading, when no one’s looking, it’s so therapeutic.’

It’s certainly less gruelling than the last challenge Zoe undertook in March – cycling over 350 miles from Blackpool to Brighton for a Sport Relief documentary to raise awareness of mental health.

‘We’re all in danger of getting lost in social media,’ she says. ‘My kids are always giving me a hard time, telling me to get off my phone, and I say the same to them. So it’s great if we can read instead – get your nose in a good book, something that will nourish you a little bit.’