Zoe Ball sparks concern as she's replaced without warning on Radio 2 breakfast show

Radio 2 fans were caught off guard this morning when a surprising voice made an appearance on the BBC Breakfast Show.

Scott Mills, stepping in for Zoe Ball, caused worry when he announced that the regular host would be absent for "several weeks" and expressed the team's affection for her.

When the show began at 6.30am, the 53-year-old was not there, and Mills took over the microphone instead.

Starting off the Monday show, Mills greeted the audience by saying: "Hey there! Surprise, surprise. Happy Monday, I'm Scott Mills."

Explaining further, he added: "If your alarm is usually set for 6:30 and Zoe usually wakes you up, don't panic when she doesn't show up. You haven't slept in."

"I'm currently hosting the Breakfast Show, so don't worry. It's still early, so you're not running late for work. Today is Monday, August 12th."

Ball poses with her late mother Julia in this photo taken in 2010 before her passing in April.

After the 8am news report, the host mentioned that Scott Mills will be taking over for Zoe for the next few weeks. If you just tuned in, that's the update for today.

I am sending you lots of love, Zo', from all of us on the team.

The BBC has officially confirmed to the Standard that Ball will not be back on her morning show until September.

This happened after Ball did not appear on Friday's show unexpectedly, even though she had told her followers on social media the previous night that she would be hosting, promising to see them in the morning.

Instead, viewers were welcomed by substitute Gaby Roslin when they tuned in.

Roslin and Mills have not revealed why Ball is suddenly not present.

The radio host had just come back to her BBC program on Monday, August 5th following a long break.

She made a humorous comment when she came back on the radio last week, saying, "What happened while I was away?"

Ball returned recently after posting a heartfelt message in honor of her late mother's birthday, which was the first one without her since she passed away in April.

In March, the host shared the news that her mom was diagnosed with cancer. She praised her mother for being incredibly brave during this difficult time.

She said that Roslin would sometimes fill in on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show so she could take care of her mother, who was later moved to a hospice.

Sharing on Instagram in April, she announced the passing of her mother with a throwback photo and wrote: "Rest in peace, Mama."

Thank you for showing us the importance of loving without limits, always being brave and compassionate, and how even in tough times, laughter is a precious gift. We feel lost without you, but we will support each other closely.