Zoe Ball has dubbed her temporary marriage breakdown to Norman Cook, aka DJ Fatboy Slim, her "mad period".

Her husband calls the split "Zoe-gate" and says the former Radio 1 host "didn't want to be a mum".

Cook, 42, was left devastated in 2003 when Ball, 35, admitted having an affair with dance DJ Daniel Peppe.

The couple are now happily back together at their home in Hove, having resurrected their relationship.

Ball's own parents split when she was just two-year's-old because her mother could not cope with parenthood.

Cook, told New! magazine: "I think Zoe-gate, when we split up, was the worst thing. It's bad enough going through marital problems in private but when it's public, it's so much worse.

"It was just a little blip. It happens in tons of marriages. Zoe calls it her 'mad period'.

She said something just went 'ping', and she didn't want to be a mum and thought she wanted something else.

"Since the blip, we've been happier than ever and both me and Zoe have taken our foot off the pedal a bit."

He said: "When we met, we were both at the peak of our careers but now things are much more manageable.

"I also have a ten-day rule, where I won't go away for more than ten days at a time because that's when I get really homesick for my wife and son.

"We go out less, too. Instead, we'll have people over, put Woody to bed and then we can still drink and muck about."