“I didn’t expect to get a call.”

Zoe Ball will take over from Chris Evans as the host of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show – becoming the first ever woman to take the prestigious job.

The presenter confirmed her appointment this morning as she appeared on air with Evans – who is leaving to take over the breakfast programme on digital station Virgin Radio.

“I didn’t think you were ever going to go”, Ball told Evans of her appointment.

“I didn’t expect to get a call.”

Ball also admitted that she was motivated to take the job after receiving encouragement from son Woody, 18, who wasn’t alive when she became the first woman to host Radio 1’s Breakfast Show in the 1990s.

“The best person I spoke to during that time was my son Woody, nearly 18, who wasn’t even born when I was doing the Radio 1 Breakfast Show” she admitted.

Her appointment comes after Evans’ departure was announced last month

Confirming the end of his Radio 2 stint, Evans said: “I have loved every single moment of my time at Radio 2. The last thirteen years have flashed past in the blink of an eye. I have learnt so much from so many people to whom I will be eternally grateful.”

The broadcaster, who is the BBC’s second highest paid on-air personality, said the show was in “fine shape” for the next presenter.