Zoe Ball left with ‘awful headaches’ by jaw condition

Zoe Ball has revealed she has a jaw condition that gives her “awful headaches” when she wakes up.

The broadcaster, who recently announced her departure from BBC Radio 2’s breakfast show, said she has TMJ – which stands for temporomandibular joint.

Writing on Instagram, she said: “I have TMJ and wake most days with awful headaches from tension & jaw clenching.”

Earlier this month, she announced she was stepping down from Radio 2’s breakfast show after six years, with Scott Mills set to take over.

Symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder include pain around the jaw, ear and temple, a headache around the temples and difficulty opening one’s mouth fully, according to the NHS website.

Ball shared a photo of her face before and after received treatment, saying she was “so grateful” to the clinic which had helped her.

The 54-year-old revealed on her show earlier this month she felt it was time for her to “step away from the very early mornings and focus on family”, having previously taken a break over the summer following the death of her mother.

She took over presenting duties from Chris Evans in 2019 and will host her show for the final time on 20 December.

Mills, who currently hosts Radio 2’s weekday afternoon programme, will pick up the reigns from early January.

Ball was listed as the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter for the 2023/24 period – with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999 – and second overall behind outgoing Match of the Day host Gary Lineker.

Many more stars don’t make the list, with several of them almost certainly earning more than Ball and Lineker but they are not named because the BBC does not have to disclose the salaries of stars who are paid through production companies.