Zöe studied law at Queen’s University, Belfast, before qualifying as a solicitor and later proved she had beauty as well as brains when she scooped the title of Miss Northern Ireland in 1999.
She modelled successfully for almost five years throughout her training as a solicitor, but her life was about to take a very different direction when she responded to an advert in a local newspaper looking for a new Blue Peter presenter. She was accepted into the BBC institution in December 2004 as the programme’s 30th presenter. She proved herself to be a natural in front of the camera, and her personality, good looks and intelligence endeared her to the nation. Shortly after her debut, she famously said “I’d Try Anything Once”, which earned her the tag of ‘Blue Peter daredevil’, something which she has since lived up to on Dancing On Ice!
During her stint on the series, she travelled to the far corners of the world. Her highlights have included walking on fire, performing an upside-down plane ‘wing walk’, barefoot water-skiing, singing on stage at the Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Proms and becoming the first female presenter to successfully complete the London Marathon. She even chin wagged with Gordon at No 10 and had a chat with the Queen about the Blue Peter pets! She has also interviewed David Beckham, Ewan McGregor, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom and mastered dozens of infamous ‘makes’ from unlikely household bottles, cans and tubs.
She co-presented the Blue Peter Proms in 2005 and the Blue Peter Proms in 2006 from the Royal Albert Hall, London live for BBC Radio 3.
Zöe presented the results for the Northern Ireland region in ‘Making Your Mind Up’, the UK’s national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. In 2006, Zoe showed her singing prowess on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and, later in the year, she performed alongside Meatloaf on the Royal Variety Performance. Other television appearances on primetime shows include BBC1’s Sport Relief, Test the Nation, Your Country Needs You and The Weakest Link.
Zöe decided to leave Blue Peter in June 2008 to pursue other opportunities, which have included presenting her own game show Hot Rods for CBBC primetime Saturday mornings, and presenting Bratz Design Academy for Nickelodeon. Zoe presented Children In Need for BBC NI in 2008.
Zöe’s love of performing began when she was a young child. She has done lots of amateur dramatics, musical theatre and pantomime, and most recently acted St Trinian’s and Dani’s House. She starred a short film, Face Value, in 2008.
Zöe is an Ambassador for Action Cancer and is UNICEF’s first Youth Ambassador. She has been heavily involved in the latest Comic Relief campaign.
In her spare time she enjoys chocolate, travel, shopping, chocolate, fashion, trips back to Belfast, chocolate and eating out.