BEHIND THE SCENES WITH best

‘I’ ve put on weight sampling all the food !’

Zoe Ball, mum to Woody, 16, and seven-year-old Nelly, from her marriage to ex Fatboy Slim, lives in Brighton.

Hi Zoe, so what makes The Big Family Cooking Showdown different?

It introduces an amazing dynamic of three relatives cooking who are then under studio conditions. It’s inter-generational, too, so you’ll have grandmothers cooking with grandchildren, mums and daughters, three brothers… The other great thing is we get to go all over Britain into their homes, and that’s quite a privilege.

Is The Showdown going to be the new Bake Off?

Obviously people are going to make comparisons, but the new

BakeOff is the new BakeOff. This is completely different.

Do the families bicker when trying to cook together?

Yes, it does get quite stressful – it’s like making a Christmas dinner with a load of mother-inlaws in the kitchen! But they’ve all been pretty well-behaved and we get close to them.

Sometimes it’s made me quite emotional, like when there was this single mum who cooks with her two daughters – it’s really heart-warming to see their incredible relationship.

But you don’t really cook yourself?

I’ve never cooked; I’m not a natural in the kitchen. I’ve always lived with brilliant cooks. I can do a spaghetti Bolognese, and I’ve been learning an awful lot on this show! There are lots of people watching cooking shows who aren’t necessarily great cooks – that’s me!

Did you know Nadiya before?

No, but I jumped at the chance to work with her. And when we met, she brought me fudge! People are more excited about me working with Nadiya than anyone I’ve ever worked with. And she knows a lot – she’s like, ‘Oh no, that sauce is going to split.’

Are you sampling lots of the lovely dishes?

I’ve put on weight on the show… It’s a nightmare! Nadiya and I get told to step back, but once you get the families on side, you can be like, ‘Let me taste the sausages, please!’ I’ll eat anything.