Sarah Cawood said Radio 2 presenter Zoe Ball offered to meet for a cup of tea after Cawood posted a tearful message on Instagram describing feelings of being "lost" and redundant in her career.
In a video Cawood, 53, said she felt jealous watching former colleagues and new peers "SLAYING it" online and admitted she feared her television career had peaked. "Can I be really honest? For a minute? I'm 53, I'm healthy and I have a lovely family… But I feel lost," she said in the post, and added she sometimes felt left out when she saw others working together and "THRIVING."
Cawood, who made her name in the 1990s presenting shows including Top of the Pops, Live and Kicking and MTV's Singled Out, said most of her days were now spent on household chores and that she worried about not earning enough. She told followers she wanted to build a brand and possibly write a book using old diaries but could not find the time unless she focused on income-generating work. "I HAD my time, and it was GREAT," she wrote, while adding she was grateful for her life.
The Instagram post drew hundreds of supportive messages, including one from Ball, who replied: "Oh darling S it's not always as it may look from out there I promise. Don't be sad - although a good weep is such a good outlet and a must. If you ever want a cuppa." Cawood responded to Ball on social media, thanking her and saying she might take up the offer "just for a Ball Cuddle!"
Cawood wrote in a column for The Sun that she and Ball had worked on Channel 4's The Girlie Show and other programmes in the 1990s but had "only met in person once or twice." She said the two ran in different social circles at the time and that Ball had sent a supportive direct message when Cawood was treated for breast cancer.
Cawood disclosed she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in September 2022 after a routine mammogram detected a lump. She underwent a lumpectomy with sentinel node removal followed by radiotherapy and remains on long-term hormone treatment. In recent posts she has also said she needs to stop drinking, writing that alcohol made her "fall off the wagon so quickly" and seemed to exacerbate her arthritis and other health issues.
"I need to stop drinking. Like stop completely," she said in a social media clip earlier this year, calling herself a "people-pleasing drinker" and saying she feared missing out on social bonding if she did not drink. She asked followers for advice and encouragement and noted that appearances on social media can mask private struggles.
Cawood's comments have attracted attention amid ongoing discussions about the pressures faced by former prominent television personalities as they navigate careers beyond their peak years. Colleagues and former contemporaries have used social platforms both to share career milestones and to offer support to those experiencing transitions, and Cawood's exchange with Ball is an example of public camaraderie among presenters from the same era.
Representatives for Ball and Cawood did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.