Radio host Kyle Sandilands has revealed the reason why Jackie ‘O’ Henderson took a two-month leave of absence from her KIIS FM show in November 2022.
It was reported that the mother of one, 49, had made the difficult decision to step away from co-hosting her radio show at the time to focus on her health.
However, Kyle has now revealed that co-host Jackie has actually taken the time to focus on her appearance.
The radio hosts spoke to Abbie Chatfield on Wednesday’s The Kyle and Jackie O show about “slut-shaming” comments Kyle made on air during Jackie’s absence.
“If Jackie hadn’t been concerned about her own image, this never would have happened,” Kyle said.
“Jackie was husbandless, fat, miserable and I supported her.”
At the time, Jackie announced that she would be quitting her KIIS radio show for health reasons.
Jackie, who had been coughing and sounding unwell on air for weeks, explained that at the time she had been in poor health since contracting Covid-19 a few months earlier and needed plenty of rest to recover.
Kyle Sandilands has revealed the real reason why his co-host Jackie O Henderson went off air for an extended break two years ago
“I haven’t been doing so well since I had Covid… I’ve been struggling with this fatigue,” she told listeners.
“I just need to take some time off,” she added. “I’m ending the show today. Like now.
She later opened up about the poor state of her mental and physical health.
‘It was difficult to take that time off. I persevered, but I should have taken it off sooner,” she told News.com.au in January 2023.
She added: “I just couldn’t push myself any further. I’m glad I took care of my health first because I feel a million times better.”
Jackie focused on both her physical and mental recovery during the two months she was off the air and managed to both shed the pounds and realign mentally.
On Wednesday, Kyle revealed that Jackie (pictured) was taking time off to focus on ‘her appearance’
She said that during a tropical holiday in Fiji with her daughter Kitty, 13, she developed a healthy eating and sleeping routine that helped her return to work in January 2023.
‘I started doing different types of exercises, such as tennis and water aerobics. It is the most amazing exercise and works every muscle in your body,” she said.
Jackie added that it was important for everyone to recognize their limits and take a break when necessary to avoid the risk of burnout.
“No matter what position you’re in, I promise you will feel better about yourself as you start taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle.”