Bristol born Johnny Ball opens up about his life's biggest challenges and transformative moments

This week an exclusive interview with 86-year-old Johnny - who is credited with popularising mathematics in the 70s and 80s- was published by Saga Magazine.

During the chat, the father of three - whose daughter Zoe is also a presenter- looked back at his life so far and was very candid in his reponses.

For instance when asked what what the biggest challenge of his life was Johnny revealed it was when Zoe had to come live him and girlfriend Dianne at the request of his ex wife and Zoe’s mum.

Johnny explained: “Zoe went to nursery during the day while Julia worked when we first split up, but the place was terrible, so I started to pick her up every morning at Julia’s and drop her off in the evening. On the second day, Julia said: ‘We think Zoe is better off with you.’ She came to live with me. It wasn’t easy, but Dianne was terrific. I said to her: ‘I have Zoe, I can’t ask you to marry me.’ She said: ‘I'm not going anywhere else.’ And she didn’t. We’re coming up to our golden wedding anniversary.”

In another deeply personal section, Johnny was asked for his most life-changing moment.

He replied: “ When a neighbour, Basil Peters, said I should do something with science. I was working as a comedian at night and presenting Play School during the day. But I had also been in the RAF and worked in the aeronautics industry. Basil said: ‘You should make use of all your experience.’ I told my TV producers I had an idea for a show about maths. I used all my comedy skills to make it fun and even I was amazed at how popular the shows became.”

The interview then ended with a question about why life is better aged 16 than when he was 18.

The Bristol born star said: “I have a partner who couldn’t be better. And, I have the ability to meet both triumph and disaster just the same. You learn that through experience. As you get older, you realise the value of both: failure in teaching you and success in proving you’re capable, that you can do it

Elsewhere in the interview, Johnny revealed what the best day of his life was and he also provided an update on his daughter Zoe Ball’s wellbeing following her Radio2 breakfast show exit.

Johnny’s interview with Saga Magazine comes ahead of the release of his new book.

My Previous Life in Comedy by Johnny Ball is out on March 28.

You can read the full interview in Saga Magazine, or online at saga.co.uk/magazine.