Dressing up with Zoe Ball

The DJ and presenter on Strictly and her rave uniform
Stunning: Zoe Ball (Picture: Ray Burmiston/BBC Picture Archives)
Hannah Nathanson4 December 2014

Filling in for Claudia [Winkleman] on Strictly was very last-minute. I ran into Harvey Nichols thinking, ‘Sequins, it’s got to be sequins.’ I ended up grabbing a long black dress.

Claudia started the trend for wearing amazingly high heels on It Takes Two [Strictly’s sister show, which Zoe presents] and I’m now obsessed. I’m 5ft 10in, so I tower above most of the dancers; if I stand next to Janette, it’s hysterical — she looks like a doll and I look like a drag queen.

For most of the year my Strictly shoes get forgotten, apart from when Nelly, my four-year-old, gets them out: her favourite look is pyjamas and a pair of Giuseppe Zanottis.

Anyone who looked in my wardrobe would think I had a split personality: one half is big jumpers and jeans and the other half looks like a magpie has attacked a sequin shop.

As I’ve got older I’ve become fussier about what I wear — I like to cover my arms and wear higher necklines.

Darcey [Bussell], Tess [Daly] and Claudia all have different styles, but they do co-ordinate their outfits for the show. You wouldn’t want them turning up in the same frock.

My favourite item of clothing is an Ashish sequined silver biker jacket. I wore it at Glastonbury last year, along with a bear hat and sunglasses. Everyone wanted to talk to me because I looked like a bear.

My staple raver’s outfit is comfort on the bottom and bling on top: jeans, Converse and a couture cape. I like having a hood and spinning around.

The first flash bit of clothing I bought was a purple velvet suit with big black buttons from Miss Selfridge for my 17th birthday party. I looked hideous, but it was the 1980s and we were all a bit confused.

I once permed my hair to look like Kelly McGillis in Top Gun, but ended up looking like Margaret Thatcher.

I’ve made some terrible faux pas. In my The Big Breakfast days, I thought it was OK to wear leather trousers and orange jumpers with big prints on.

When I finish filming I’m so tired I can’t even take my clothes off, so my husband Norman [Cook, aka Fatboy Slim] undresses me and I fall asleep with my make-up on. He sometimes wakes up covered in eyelashes.

Watch Zoe on her YouTube channel Zoe Ball Off Air (youtube.com/OffAirChannel)

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