ALISON BOSHOFF: Zoe Ball and Fatboy Slim are ‘spending more time together than ever’

Announcing their divorce in 2016, Zoe Ball and husband Fatboy Slim (real name Norman Cook) memorably said they had reached the end of their rainbow.

But it is to their credit that in the years that followed – rainbow or not – they managed to build a strong friendship.

And now friends say the one-time power couple are ‘spending more time together than ever’ as Radio 2 DJ Zoe deals with the death of her mother Julia.

A local friend in Hove, East Sussex, said: ‘They always seem to be together.’ And another said the pair went to their son Woody’s DJ gigs together (something they didn’t do when Zoe was with her previous boyfriend Michael Reed).

In the summer, Zoe moved from her £2 million mansion in the village of Newick to a townhouse in Brighton, making it easier for her and Cook to co-parent – and see each other too.

They now get together for family occasions, as well as Sunday lunch with Woody, 23, and daughter Nelly, 14. They were photographed at a cafe with a group of friends and their children last summer.

Zoe took a six-week break from her breakfast show in August and September to deal with “sadness, anxiety and depression”, a source said. Her mother Julia died in April, just 12 weeks after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Ball and Norman met in Ibiza in 1997, when she was on Radio 1’s party island and he was performing. They married in 1999 and had Woody the following year. They briefly split in 2003 after Norman, now 61, discovered Zoe had been unfaithful with DJ Dan Peppe. Cook told reporters: “I still love her. When you love someone, you forgive him or her.’ They reconciled and welcomed a second child, Nelly, in 2010. Both had problems with alcohol addiction during their marriage, but are now teetotal, after rehabilitation.

In an interview, Norman credited his ex-wife for keeping him grounded when he was at the height of his fame. “Zoe was really good for me before that, because she knew the fame game; and we kind of checked each other out.”

In 2017, Zoe found love again with old friend, cinematographer Billy Yates. Their relationship ended when Billy committed suicide. She then had a five-year relationship with construction company boss Michael Reed.

In 2018, Norman started seeing Zoe’s close friend Nicola Lokko, causing his ex to ‘freak out’. Friends say the romance has been over for a few years, and he is dating again; although he is not thought to have a serious girlfriend.

Great new role for Hannah, Hollywood’s darling

The inexorable rise of Hannah Waddingham continues. The actress, who rose to fame in Ted Lasso, will play a murderer opposite Oscar winner Octavia Spencer.

The as-yet-untitled TV series will be a kind of Odd Couple meets Thelma & Louise, with two best friends – one of them a hitman – going on the run after a job goes wrong.

Spencer says she’s already in training for the action scenes. ‘I’m going to do some physical things. I’m literally in training. Getting up is training these days! I have some moves. Some serious steps.” Speaking about the series, which is in pre-production and will be released on Prime Video, Spencer added: “They are both women of a certain age who have known each other for 20 years. But it turns out my best friend is a murderer. We all thought at the same time: who would we want to play this beautiful, fun, daring assassin? And we all said: Hannah. We went through the process of pitching it to her and she said, “Absolutely. I’m in!’

“I can tell you this: I’ve never been so excited about anything.”

Proof that diamonds are a girl’s best friend

Jewel thief Joan Hannington – the inspiration for ITV’s hit drama Joan, starring Sophie Turner – has enjoyed a media merry-go-round thanks to the show. Last week she was guest of honor at a party where £250,000 worth of diamonds were on display, courtesy of the jewelers at The Diamond Store. Even though she has written a book about her life of crime, Hannington (below) says she is not worried about the police’s renewed interest in her.

“The police were more unreliable than we were 40 years ago,” she joked. “And my life is completely different now.” Hannington, known in London’s underworld as the ‘Godmother’, was only prosecuted for stealing a car and using a stolen chequebook.

More departures at show business agency YMU

A new departure from show business agency YMU is looming. I hear Take That will follow their manager Chris Dempsey out the company door. I revealed in June that Strictly star Claudia Winkleman was no more, with Amanda Holden and Emily Atack leaving last year. Others who YMU cared for – but no longer – include Leigh Francis, Angela Scanlon, Rob Rinder and Gabby Logan. The agency continues to represent Rylan, Simon Cowell, Ant & Dec, Vernon Kay and others.

Where is Phoebe Waller-Bridge?

Where was Phoebe Waller-Bridge this week? The actress and writer, who has a $20 million-a-year contract with Prime Video, was not present at the company’s high-profile “Trailblazers” event in London, which featured all the top female musicians, as well as producers like Amy Pascal, and actresses , including Bryce Dallas Howard.

She has now handed in her first full script since signing the deal in 2019, for a live-action Lara Croft. But strangely, neither she nor her project were mentioned.

Ridley Scott comes to the rescue of Bee Gees’ troubled musical biopic

From Maximus to Massachusetts – Sir Ridley Scott comes to the rescue of the Bee Gees’ troubled musical biopic.

Scott, who recently completed Gladiator II, now turns his attention to the Gibb brothers film, which will begin filming in London and Miami next year.

The project has been floating around for a while. Paramount secured the rights to tell the story of Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb (who sold 220 million albums worldwide) and, crucially, use their music, in 2019, a year after the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was released.

Kenneth Branagh was originally attached as director, with Ben Elton chosen to write the script and Graham King (who produced Bohemian Rhapsody) reprising his role as producer.

But in 2022 there was a new director, John Carney. And a new screenwriter — John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall).

Then Carney stepped away and Lorene Scafaria would direct. And now Logan’s script has attracted Scott. One of the big questions is who could play the Gibbs, and there is speculation that Scott could ask his Maximus to put on some tight pants.

Paul Mescal is also a talented singer and dancer, which adds to the conversation. A spokesperson for Scott did not return requests for comment.

Coincidentally, Scott already has a connection with the Bee Gees. Nearly fifty years ago, their legendary manager Robert Stigwood asked him to make a film, Castle Accident, starring the band.

But the picture, set in the Middle Ages, was never realized. Perhaps mercifully.

Priyanka: I finally got equal pay!

Priyanka Chopra Jonas reveals that she has received equal pay for the first time in her career in Citadel, the mega-budget spy drama on Prime Video.

Speaking in London this week, she and Amazon Studios boss Jen Salke praised the $300 million drama and her pay package as evidence of a culture change.

Chopra Jonas – who plays Nadia Sinh, former lover of fellow spy Mason Kane (Richard Madden) on the show – said the industry needed women in positions of power to put a female character at the helm of a series where “you Tom would have expected’. Cruise or Bruce Willis, or a man who saves the world over and over again’.

She added: “We need women behind the camera. We need women in power roles. We need women making decisions and you know, I have to say it was the first time in my career that I received equal pay. It wasn’t something I thought was possible.

“Did that happen because the head of the studio was a woman? Maybe. But you know the landscape changes so much when women support women.”

Salke, meanwhile, revealed that their professional alliance stemmed from a marathon meeting over drinks at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills. “We talked about everything we wanted to achieve around women, around strong characters,” she recalls.

Citadel had a difficult history. The initial six-part run included competing edits, test screenings, and executive departures due to creative differences.

Filming of the second series has just started in London.

Meanwhile, two related, non-English language spin-offs are about to be shown. Citadel: Diana is set in Italy; and Citadel: Honey Bunny in India.

Is an Oscar rematch on the Horizon for Tilda and Saoirse?

Seventeen years ago, Tilda Swinton and Saoirse Ronan were both nominated for Oscars, and Tilda won for Michael Clayton. Now it is possible that a rematch will take place in March next year. Saoirse is receiving rave reviews for The Outrun, in which she plays a recovering alcoholic; and Tilda for The Room Next Door,

in which she plays a terminally ill woman.

Unique? Oh no, it’s not

Priscilla Presley, seen here in Snow White, has appeared in panto several times in Britain – and is apparently the most charming castmate.

Alan Carr said on his podcast this week: ‘Someone I know was doing panto with Priscilla, and she took everyone out on the last day, and she said, ‘I’ve found this really cute French bistro, you’ll love it – it’s so unique!’ And it was Café Rouge.”

DAme Maureen Lipman ponders name change after getting engaged

Meet Mo Truskolaski, also known as Dame Maureen Lipman. The actress, 78, who is newly engaged to businessman David Turner (pictured), is mulling over a marital name change.

She said, “His original name was Truskolaski. And I think ‘Mo Truskolaski’ is in the spotlight for The Importance Of Being Earnest… I think that would be big.” She added, “I’ve never really liked my name, but I’m just too lazy to do anything about changing it.”

Lipman’s husband, Jack Rosenthal, died in 2004; and her previous partner died after contracting Covid in 2021.