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Zoe Ball pays emotional tribute to 'best boy' Woody on his 17th birthday

The doting mum shares son Woody and daughter Nelly, seven, with ex-husband Norman Cook

zoe ball son birthday
Hanna Fillingham
US Managing Editor
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Zoe Ball is such a proud mum! The Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host made sure to mark her oldest child, son Woody's 17th birthday in a special way on Thursday. The TV presenter took to Instagram to share a photo collage of the never-before-seen family snaps from throughout the years, which featured Woody as a young boy, photos of him dressed up in fancy dress with his dad Norman Cook, and one of him with his little sister, Nelly, seven. The doting mum captioned the pictures: "Happy 17th Birthday to my best boy & no 1 @w00dy_c00k Love you beyond rave monkey. Mumma."

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Zoe Ball shared a series of never-before-seen photos to mark her son's birthday

Fans were quick to pick up on the family resemblance in the photos, with one writing: "He looks just like Nelly in the pirate photo," while another said: "Looks like his mum." A third praised Zoe's parenting skills, adding: "Beautiful Zoe, well done mumma raising beautiful people." Zoe separated from Norman in 2016, but remain on great terms – even living next door but one from each other in Brighton.

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Zoe included a cute throwback snap of Woody with his younger sister Nelly 

It's not been an easy year for the former Big Breakfast presenter, who tragically lost her boyfriend Billy Yates back in May. The cameraman took his own life, and Zoe has since been campaigning on social media to help raise awareness of mental health. Last month, the former Big Breakfast presenter paid a heartfelt tribute on social media to mark six months since his passing. She shared a photo of the two smiling together, where she wrote about how much Billy was missed and thanked everyone for their support, which has helped her "more than you could ever imagine".

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Zoe has since been linked to rumoured love interest Michael Reed. Photos obtained by the Daily Mail earlier in the week showed the pair walking arm-in-arm outside Union, a private members club in Soho, London. A source told The Sun: "It is great to see Zoe with a spring in her step – smiling and enjoying life again. She has had a tough time of it this year so deserves some happiness. Michael is a charismatic guy and very handsome, so it is not hard to see the attraction. He is also not in showbiz, so hopefully that might make any relationship easier."