Former Cradle Of Filth keyboardist and backing vocalist Zoë Marie Federoff has shared a new update on her social media following her sudden mid-tour departure from the band.
In her latest post, Federoff addressed the wave of speculation surrounding her exit and clarified a few key points:
“Couple clarifying points since so many people decided to speculate in the nastiest possible ways.
-Ashok isn’t cheating. While the turmoil of being in the band has taken its toll on us, we remain very much certain that we love each other. Please be kind to my husband. He is a good man.
-We were already planning to leave the band later this year. Certain events have sped that up for me.
At this time there is nothing further I wish to clarify and I’d appreciate keeping the ugly rumors off my page and out of my inbox.
Please enjoy the remaining shows on this tour and give a lot of love to Kelsey, who is one of the greatest singers I’ve ever been privileged to hear. You’ll love her.”
The post comes just few hours after Federoff announced she was leaving the band mid-tour for personal reasons. Cradle Of Filth are currently on their “Screaming of the Americas” South and Central American run, with Kelsey Peters stepping in on backing vocals.
In the comments of her update, one fan pointed out that back in January — after Federoff married Cradle Of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda — the couple had publicly stated they had “no plans to leave” the band. Federoff replied directly: “something has indeed changed but it’s nothing I care to get into at this point in time.”
Zoë joined Cradle Of Filth in 2022 and contributed to their latest album, The Screaming of the Valkyries, released in March 2025. She married Ashok earlier this year in a ceremony fans widely described as one of the most “metal weddings” in recent memory. While Zoë has now stepped away, Ashok appears to remain a member of the band.
