Fatboy Slim's life Zoe Ball friendship now and sobriety after rehab stint

17 July 2023 , 12:24

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Inside Fatboy Slim's fascinating life, including marriage to Zoe Ball and alcoholism recovery

Norman Cook, also known as Fatboy Slim, has lead an extraordinary life – creating hits such as Right Here, Right Now, Praise You and more.

The Bromley DJ has long been a household name in the entertainment industry, with two Brit Awards and one Grammy Award under his belt, as well as a sales history of over 8 million albums worldwide.

The DJ, who is set to turn 60 on July 31, got his start in showbiz as the bass player of 1980s band The Housemartins. His long string of accolades includes a the Guinness World Record for the most top-40 hits under different aliases. The dad-of-two has gone by a eclectic array of stage names over the course of his career, with Rockaway 3, Chemistry and Pizzaman just a few of his adopted monikers. Today, he is regarded as one of the best DJs of our time.

Zoe Ball romance

The DJ first met radio star Zoe Ball in the 1990s, while Zoe was working on BBC Radio 1. The celebrity couple tied the knot in 1999 and had their first child together, Woody, in 2002, only for Zoe’s affair with Cook's friend causing them to briefly split.

Speaking to The Mirror about this difficult period in 2010, Zoe said that she "wasn't happy" and that a "mix of everything" contributed to her infidelity.

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English DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, on stage (Maja Smiejkowska/REX/Shutterstock)

Zoe said at the time: "And what I've always done in my past when life hit a rocky patch was just run from trouble into the next relationship. I've had so many boyfriends and that's what happened if it ever got difficult." She also said that family life fuelled this lack of satisfaction, admitting that "reality hit me hard" when she had kids.

"Norm and I met in Ibiza and lived this crazy, party life and got married within a year," she said. "Then we had Woody and suddenly I was all settled down. I thought, ‘Do know each other?’"

They rekindled their romance three months later and welcomed their second child, Nelly, in 2010, but would ultimately split in 2016 after eighteen years of marriage.

At the time of their separation, a source told the Mirror that the couple had ‘really tried to make it work’ but had come to a ‘mutual decision’ to part ways after accepting that their ‘relationship was coming to an end’.

Zoe Ball and Norman Cook divorced in 2016 (PA)

The pair, who continue to co-parent their children, issued a joint statement to announce their split. It read: With great sadness we are announcing that we have separated. After many exciting adventures together over the last 18 years we have come to the end of our rainbow. We are still great friends and will continue to support each other and raise our beautiful children together, living next door but one. X Zoe & Norm."

Exes Zoe and Norman remain friends, with Fatboy Slim appearing on Zoe's radio show in June ahead of Glastonbury.

The pair had a jokey exchange when Zoe forgot her ex-husband's name while introducing him on the radio. She said: "I now welcome to the show somebody you may know from The Housemartins, Pizzaman, Beats International – I nearly forgot what you were called then, sorry."

To which Norman replied: "And such things as our marriage." "And such things as our marriage. It is Fatboy Slim aka Norman Cook," Zoe playfully replied.

Battles with alcohol and rehab

In March 2009, Cook’s alcoholism led him to seek treatment at an inpatient rehab facility in Bournemouth. He was discharged from the centre after a few weeks and quit drinking for good. In 2022, he marked his 13th anniversary of sobriety.

Speaking about his relationship with drugs and alcohol in 2015, Cook said: "I gave it a 30 good years. I caned the a**e out of it and left no stone unturned. But I would encourage everyone to have as much fun as possible – while it is still fun."

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He has also previously admitted to being a 'drugged up lunatic in the 1990s', who heavily relied on substances to perform on stage.

"My first gig back sober, I have never been so petrified in my life," he revealed. "I was paralysed with fear and felt physically sick and thought… what if I can’t do this anymore. It took me a while to be able to dance again."

He eventually became used to performing while sober, after discovering that the crowds "didn’t mind if I was off my nut or not."

Today, he gets in the zone for performances by drinking large amounts of Red Bull and having his tour manager slap him on the face – a ritual he has compared to drugs.

"The slapping is like doing a line," he explained. "Three Red Bulls and a slap across the face is pretty much like doing a line just before you go on to DJ."

Son Woody's sexuality

In January 2019, Cook's younger son, Woody, came out as bisexual. Speaking to Boys By Girls magazine, the DJ revealed that mum Zoe had initially been surprised by the news.

Zoe and Norman's son came out as bisexual in 2019 (Getty)

"I told my mum and her first reaction was: ‘You can’t be, you like girls?’," he recalled. "I got her to look back upon her group of friends and she started to realise she knew more bi people then she thought. I think it was a bigger thing in her time."

Woody, 22, also said that "none of my grandparents knows" about his sexuality before adding, "They might be finding out after this interview."

The Bristol-based musician, who is studying psychology at university, split from his girlfriend Nell Williams in November 2022, after previously dating a woman named Amber.

Emma Dooney