Fatboy Slim has said his ‘triumph’ with ex Zoe Ball is that they’ve remained really good friends and parents, but admitted it was ‘a bit awkward at first’.
The former couple tied the knot in 1999 but briefly separated after Zoe, 55, admitted to an affair with fellow DJ Daniel Peppe.
However, they managed to patch things back up just three months later, until their divorce in 2016.
Despite their separation, the pair have remained close friends and have always co-parented their children, Woody, 25, and Nelly, 16.
Speaking to Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast on Thursday, Norman revealed that their greatest achievement is how they’ve kept such a good relationship after their split – something he is proud of.
He said: ‘Going through it together was great because, Zoe is a really good teacher, she was really good, really measured and she’s kept me really grounded to earth…
Fatboy Slim has said his ‘triumph’ with ex Zoe Ball is that they’ve remained really good friends and parents, but admitted it was ‘a bit awkward at first’
The former couple tied the knot in 1999 and ended their marriage in 2016 (pictured in 2015)
Speaking to Davina McCall on her Begin Again podcast on Thursday, Norman revealed that their greatest achievement is how they’ve kept such a good relationship after their split – something he is proud of
‘She is, and still is, we’re still really good friends.
‘Our triumph is to remain really good friends and parents, even though we’re not a couple anymore…
‘It was a bit awkward at first, but then we got this rhythm where… we’re probably actually better than we were when we were a couple.’
He added: ‘You sign on to be parents, that’s for life.
‘You can sign up for marriage and you can get divorced. But you can never stop being parents.’
It comes a week after Zoe reunited with Norman and their bridesmaid daughter Nelly at her friend’s wedding over the weekend.
Taking to Instagram, Zoe shared a montage of sweet clips and photos from her PR guru friend’s wedding.
For the occasion, the star looked incredible in a cream dress with a ruffle slit, while Norman looked dapper in a grey suit.
Their daughter Nelly, who was a bridesmaid, donned a white maxi dress with a flower crown.
Meanwhile, the bride wowed in a strapless gown, with her magical day taking place at Parnham Park in Dorset.
It comes a week after Zoe reunited with Norman and their bridesmaid daughter Nelly at her friend’s wedding over the weekend (pictured Zoe and her daughter Nelly)
The former Radio 2 star still has a close friendship with Norman and the two co-parent their children Woody, 25, and Nelly, 16
Alongside the post, Zoe penned: ‘Congratulations Eva & James & Willow
‘We ♥️ you so much. The most perfect wedding celebration for our dear magic friends.
‘Groomsmen, Bridesmaids & a few close folk to celebrate the Wedding.’
Last week, Zoe revealed that her daughter had moved in with her ex-husband Fatboy Slim as she confessed her house is now ‘so quiet’.
On an episode of Jo Whiley and Zoe’s Dig It podcast, the presenter contrasted Jo’s busy household with her own, which has become noticeably quieter.
She said: ‘Mine’s so quiet, it’s like ugh! It’s less and less because Nel is based more at her dad’s now because I think she’s got to that point of, “Ah can I just be in one place?”
‘All of her GCSE revision notes are on the wall at her dads and it’s just [nice] not having to move from house to house, so she’s just spending more time there now.’
The move, Zoe clarified, has been made easier by the fact that Norman lives nearby.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, Zoe shared a montage of sweet clips and photos from her PR guru friend’s wedding
The bride wowed in a strapless gown, with her magical day taking place at Parnham Park in Dorset
Alongside the post, Zoe penned: ‘Congratulations Eva & James & Willow. We ♥️ you so much. The most perfect wedding celebration for our dear magic friends. ‘Groomsmen, Bridesmaids & a few close folk to celebrate the Wedding.
‘It’s great because it’s only around the corner and I can nip round at any time, which is great, and she can come here if she gets upset about anything like, ‘Mum, I need you’ but it’s less and less,’ she added.
Last year, Woody revealed he had moved to Bristol, while his parents remain in their hometown of Brighton.
It comes after she spoke about the challenges of introducing new partners to her family, as she continues to enjoy her romance with a ‘sexy’ new boyfriend.
The Daily Mail revealed in January how Zoe has been dating BAFTA-winning production designer Mathieu Weekes, 49, for over a year – seven years after splitting from Norman.
In a recent episode of her Dig It podcast, Zoe admitted to her co-host Jo that she’s made mistakes in past relationships and introduced boyfriends to her children too quickly.
Responding to a listener’s dilemma about moving on after the breakdown of a marriage, Jo threw the question to Zoe who laughed as she admitted she had been through the issue of introducing new partners ‘quite a few times. ‘Another one!’ as my kids would say. I’m just kidding.’
‘Introducing new partners, it’s a tricky one. You just have to go with the feeling of it. I think it’s okay to have a bit of a private life that isn’t part of the kids’ life for a little bit,’ Zoe advised.
‘In the past I’ve rushed that by welcoming someone in and being like ‘here’s my kids. Here’s my life. This is me.’ And it’s all a bit much. It’s all a bit much for me. It’s all a bit much for the kids.’
‘Hopefully at some point there is someone where you think actually this person’s pretty cool and they’re pretty laid-back and they’re not going to come in and demand to be part of your kids’ lives.’
She added: ‘I think the right person will respect your relationship with your kids, will respect the relationship you have with your ex. I’d be wary of anyone who wants this to happen too soon for you.’
‘You might meet a few people and they might initially seem to be fabulous. You may then get to know that they’re complicated because it’s really hard to get to our stage of life without baggage. And initially you might meet someone and think, ‘Oh, wow. This person’s too good to be true.’ Sometimes they are.’
Before Mathieu Zoe’s last public relationship was with former construction worker Michael Reed.
The pair were together for five years before their split in 2023, as sources told The Sun the relationship began to break down after Michael became ‘a bit demanding’.
It comes after Zoe revealed that her daughter had moved in with her ex-husband Fatboy Slim as she confessed her house is now ‘so quiet’
Before Michael, she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically died by suicide in May 2017 after a long battle with depression.
Zoe, who was married to Norman for 17 years, also offered advice to the listener who had admitted she felt guilty about leaving her unhappy marriage.
The star empathised, saying ‘it is so hard to leave a relationship when you know it’s the right thing to do.’
‘You feel awful for the person you’ve left. You feel terrible for breaking up a family. You feel guilty for your kids. It is a lot. And it does take such bravery.’
‘But when you’re out and the dust starts to settle, you realise that was exactly what you needed to do. Hopefully your kids as they get older, you can talk to them a little bit more about why that happened.’
‘Sometimes you might not want to talk to them about that. They might not want to hear it. I think sometimes it takes for them to be adults themselves and be in relationships to realise how difficult it is.’
Norman and Zoe began their romance in 1997 after they met in Ibiza and they married two years later at Babington House in Somerset.
