The This Morning star has issued a health update after they were taken to hospital for major spinal surgery, forcing her to step back from the show
21:28, 28 Jan 2026Updated 21:32, 28 Jan 2026
This Morning star shares health update from hospital after spinal surgery(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
A star of ITV show This Morning has shared a health update following a major spinal surgery. Doctor Zoe Williams had the operation just a few days ago after months of back problems.
Zoe’s back problems and open spinal surgery had forced her to take a step back from the show in the lead up to her hospital stay. Following the surgery, the 45 year old shared an update with fans via Instagram.
In a video, she appeared to be upbeat and in good health as she tucked into a post operation meal. Then another clip saw her get up for the first time. A creaking sound could be heard, but rather than be concerned, Zoe joked that it was her knees. “They always do that,” she said.
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Zoe shared updates about her spinal surgery(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
She’s previously shared news about it on This Morning(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
She later shared a video of her bandage at the bottom of her spine and captioned the post: “Dressed. No bending, twisting, lifting for six weeks.” Though Zoe seemed to be happy and recovering from her surgery, her doctor reportedly told her that the operation was “really tight” at one point.
“So the operation went really well,” he said. “It was really tight in there.” He added that the nerve canal should have been circular but had flattened, meaning the nerves were “really compressed”.
Zoe previously explained to fans that she had been diagnosed with severe spinal stenosis and that she had to have a lumber decompression. She said at the time: “The surgeon will be removing overgrown ligaments and bone which are a result of degenerative changes to my spine.”
She added that spinal stenosis is different to sciatica, which fixes itself over time in many cases. Zoe, who had previously had a spacer put in, is now home and resting.
Zoe shared her surgery news on This Morning(Image: ITV)
On her last appearance on This Morning, Zoe shared with hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard how the surgery was impacting her work. Ben started the conversation by saying: “We’re going to start with your health headline, Zoe, because personally, your back issue, which you’ve had for many years, you’ve finally decided to go for surgery.”
Zoe responded that the surgery was scheduled for the upcoming Tuesday: “I’ve been reassured by my surgeon that I’ll walk in, have my operation, and walk out the same day.” She said that she was “hoping not to take too much time of”.
“I am hoping to not take too much time off – maybe four weeks off work and then be up and about again,” she said. “I have been struggling with this back issue for some time. I have tried everything you could to be strong and done physio. But it has come to a point now where I’ve been assured that surgery is the only option.”
“I struggle to be up straight. If I’m sitting down, I’m ok, but I can’t straighten my spine a lot of the time,” she added later. She continued to say that doctors thought her exercise regimen could be the problem.
“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve been told being so active might have not helped me, because I played rugby and did a lot of high-intensity sport, combined with my genetics. This is a condition that people usually get in their 60s, I’ve got it really young.”
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