Jackie 'O' Henderson breaks down as she admits to private addiction battle live on air
Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed she privately battled with drug addiction in an emotional statement live on air this morning.
In a planned reading from her upcoming memoir Jackie O: The Whole Truth, the 49-year-old radio host broke down.
"I was scared to tell people and say this out loud, I know people will look at me differently and judge me," Henderson said while speaking to her co-host Kyle Sandilands.
"I was in a really, really dark place."
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Jackie 'O' Henderson has opened up about her private addiction battle on The Kyle & Jackie O Show this morning. Instagram / Kyle and Jackie O
Henderson admitted she was taking pain killers, sleeping pills and alcohol in a three-year addiction battle that ended with a month-long stay in a rehabilitation centre in November 2022.
At the time, Henderson announced that she had long Covid and would be taking an extended break from The Kyle & Jackie O Show to focus on her health.
While she had been struck with COVID-19 and a lung infection, she was actually absent because she was undergoing treatment in the Betty Ford Centre in Palm Springs, California.
She called it a "lie by omission" when she read out parts of her memoir's prologue on air.
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Henderson made the revelation by reading out the prologue from her memoir. Instagram
She had kept it a secret until now so she could focus solely on her health and recovery, with a small group of confidantes being told about the true extent of her problem.
That group included her personal assistant, her parents, and her best friend and manager Gemma O'Neill. Extended family members and close friends – including Sandilands – had been kept in the dark, until this morning.
"Where do you draw the line?" Henderson said of her decision to keep her health battle private.
"I just didn't want anyone to know until I had at least gotten a year or more of sobriety under my belt."
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Henderson sought permission from her 13-year-old daughter Kitty before sharing. Instagram/Jackie O
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Henderson said she'd sought permission from her 13-year-old daughter, Kitty, before sharing her truth, and praised Kitty for treating her with "compassion".
"I couldn't be more proud of my daughter, the way she has been about it has been zero judgement, just compassionate and support," Henderson said.
She said she wanted to speak out about her battle to reduce the "stigma" surrounding addiction.
"I want to apologise to our listeners and everyone in my life," Henderson said. "I just needed to concentrate on that part first, that recovery."
If you or someone you know would like to talk to someone confidentially about addiction, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit Reach Out. In an emergency, call 000.
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