ZOE Ball’s partner took his own life days after appearing in a film about preventing suicide.

Billy Yates was among the actors to feature in a film called I Made This For You by Cristian Solimeno.

It is now being shown online and on More4.

But Billy took his own life shortly after the film was made.

Radio 2 presenter Zoe, who lives in Ditchling, had started dating cameraman Billy in September 2016 following her split from her husband Norman Cook, aka, Brighton DJ Fatboy Slim.

Zoe had discussed her affection for Billy just days before his death in May of that year.

The 40-year-old suffered from depression.

Zoe admitted she was in shock for two years after his death.

She took on a 300-mile bike ride from Blackpool to Brighton in aid of Sport Relief in Billy’s memory, raising more than £1 million.

Now Cristian Solimeno’s film has been completed by the director. It is about a group of friends trying to stop a suicide.

Cristian said: “I Made This For You is about a group of friends who are trying to save somebody’s life. They can see that he is in difficulty and see that he is in danger.

“They make him a film because they can’t get to him. They use film as a way of reaching around him and pull him back from the edge.

“I would ask them a series of questions and we would sort of develop their character out of that. People were kind enough and generous enough to really open up and use a lot of their own experiences, tweaking it and twisting it for the purposes of the film.

“I made a rough cut of the film. One of the actors in it, a guy called Billy [Yates] couldn’t be there that night. I spoke to him on the phone and we had a laugh.

“About a week later I got a call from another friend who is also on the film, Billy had taken his own life and he was gone.”

The filmmaker said he thought about stopping the whole project, but then said that option did not seem the right thing to do. Instead he told he BBC he wanted to be on the front foot and said: “Here we are, here he is, this is the work we’ve made.”

Cristian said the film has been dedicated in Billy’s memory.

In January this year Zoe Ball opened up about her partner’s death with Red magazine and said: “It’s like you can’t see beyond putting your feet on the floor and getting out of bed each day.

“I believe I was in shock for two years afterwards.

“To feel love is the most incredible feeling in the world. To lose it will nearly end you and take you to your knees.”