Zoe Ball's boyfriend found dead at home

5 May 2017

Zoe Ball's boyfriend has been found dead at his home in south London.

Zoe Ball

The 'Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two' host is "completely and utterly devastated" after 'Antiques Roadshow' cameraman Billy Yates, whom she's been dating since the beginning of the year, was discovered lifeless by his friends last night (04.05.17).

A close friend of the 42-year-old presenter told The Sun newspaper: "Zoe is overcome with grief. She is completely and utterly devastated. Billy had made her happy again after the most horrendous year when her marriage broke down.

"This was completely out of the blue. She had no feeling that this was coming and is in total shock. As far as we know this occurred at his house in south London and it was friends who raised the alarm. She's going to need a lot of time to grieve.

"This just feels so unfair because Zoe had finally found happiness with Billy and had so many exciting plans for their future. It's devastating. There's nothing else other than devastation today."

A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police confirmed officers were called to a residential address in Putney, South London at 18.40 and, although he was already dead when they arrived, they are not treating the circumstances as "suspicious."

The statement said: "Police were called to a residential address in Putney, South London at 18.40 on Thursday 4th May, to reports of a man found deceased. Officers attended alongside staff from the London Ambulance Service, and a man believed to be aged 40 was pronounced dead at the scene. The circumstances are not being treated as suspicious, and the coroner has been informed."

Zoe's relationship with Billy came shortly after she split from her husband Norman Cook - also known as Fatboy Slim - after she was spotted smooching 23-year-old boyband singer Tay Tay Starhz in a London nightclub.