Zoe Ball has shared the devastating news that her friend and colleague Simon Willis has passed away. The mother-of-two explained that her friend had "been poorly for some time".
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Announcing her friend's passing on Instagram, Zoe wrote: "Heartbroken to hear our dear friend Willy, Simon Willis from our Radio 1 Breakfast Show team, passed away last night. He’d been poorly for some time. He was the naughtiest, daftest dear chap, deliciously hilarious, the best raconteur & a total joy to work with & indeed play with. He took us on some wild wonderful adventures with the show, oh the tales. The Oscars, ski trips, the Euros, The Brits. Forever in our hearts Showbiz Willis. The best of the best Baby."
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Zoe shared the sad news on Instagram
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Alongside the moving tribute, Zoe also shared a series of photos of herself and Simon, and fans were quick to share their condolences.
"Sorry for your loss. Sending you lots of love," said one.
"Oh no, this is really sad," another added, with a third saying: "God Zoe I’m so sorry for you and your teams loss. Clearly some very lasting memories and adventures for you to remember his by. Clearly the led a life. I hope he wasn’t in too much pain and I’m sure he knew he was very well loved."
According to Simon's LinkedIn, he worked alongside Zoe between 1998-2002 and actually launched her popular show, the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.
A segment on his profile explains: "I had editorial and development responsibility for Radio 1's daytime output, this included launching the award winning Zoe Ball Breakfast Show."
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