Zoe Ball has disclosed that her 16-year-old daughter Nelly has been diagnosed with ADHD and is now taking medication that helps her focus at school. According to Ball, both she and her son Woody, 25, also have the condition. The presenter first revealed her own ADHD diagnosis in December 2023, according to the Daily Mail.
Ball has spoken about how understanding her children's experiences helped her recognise her own traits. According to the Daily Mail, she described learning about how they cope and deal with things, which in turn taught her about her own ADHD. She also reflected on her party reputation in the 1990s, attributing it to undiagnosed ADHD, as reported by the Daily Express. Ball said she would never let anyone leave a party, which she now sees as a symptom of the condition.
Having ADHD has contributed to my style. I've always jumped around a lot as a person.
Woody Cook, Ball's son, has said that ADHD has helped him become a better DJ. According to the Daily Mail, he described how the condition has contributed to his style and allowed him to jump around and engage the crowd. Woody started DJing during lockdown and is self-taught; he told the Daily Mail that his father, Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), never gave him lessons, though he offered advice on being unique. Woody considered calling himself Monkey Man as a DJ, but ultimately chose a different path.
Ball has also credited her lodger with bringing calm and order into their home. According to the Daily Express, she described the household as having three gregarious people with ADHD, contrasted with the lodger who is ordered and regimented. She said he has brought a sense of calm that she never realised would be so appreciated. The lodger's name and how long he has lived with Ball have not been disclosed.
I was contemplating calling myself Monkey Man as a DJ, by me letting go, it allows the audience to feel it too.
The family's openness about ADHD highlights the varied ways the condition manifests and the importance of support and understanding. Ball's comments come as awareness of neurodiversity continues to grow.
I've become at one with the DJ and the hype man and this inbetween phase, ADHD has really helped with that.
As a DJ you're a performer, you're not just there to stand there and I think there's definitely part of my set where the crowd moves because I do.
He never really gave me any lessons, I didn't touch decks growing up, he gave me more instructional stuff.
I would ask him questions like, 'why did you do that in a set?' 'Why did you do this?' And he would say 'you will never be the best DJ out there, but you can be the most unique?' On a list of ten people, why would they pick you? What would make you uniqu