EXCLUSIVE
Broadcaster Alan Jones “is an absolutely broken man”, his friends have revealed, “completely devastated” by historic allegations of indecent assault which he denies.
The radio veteran ended months of silence on Sunday by releasing a video detailing serious health issues that had delayed his planned return to the online channel.
The 82-year-old has defiantly vowed to resume his broadcasting career after returning to Australia from the UK.
However, Jones’ close supporters said it was not just his physical problems, but also the mental trauma inflicted by the molestation allegations that explained his absence in public.
Following a series of articles in Nine Newspapers in December claiming he had preyed on young men during his long career, Jones spoke to his confidants at his luxury apartment in the “Toaster” building on Circular Quay in Sydney.
The allegations were called “patently false” by Jones’ lawyers and he has not been charged over them.
The former Sydney radio talkback king took off for London shortly after the allegations were published; a trip Jones said Sunday was long planned to celebrate his godson’s 21st birthday and catch a few West End shows.
A close friend said Jones needed a break because he was “really struggling to recover from his latest health issues.”
The friend said Jones, who had several back and neck operations, was “taking much longer than expected to recover from the operation, his health had rapidly deteriorated and he was “getting older “.
Now that he has returned from London, Jones has announced that his plans to get back behind the mic have been delayed by a new wave of health problems.
Former broadcaster Alan Jones “is an absolutely broken man”, his friends have revealed, and has been “completely devastated” by historic molestation allegations which he denies.
In the video broadcast on Sunday, he reiterated his denial of the Nine’s allegations and said the reason for his absence from Australia was not that suggested in the media.
“I am not going to dwell here on the allegations made about me, except that I completely refute them and the inferences associated with them,” Jones said.
“But the Get-Jones campaign is nothing new in my life.”
The former Wallabies rugby union and rugby league coach said the timing of his trip to London was entirely coincidental with the allegations being made public.
Mr Jones was the subject of articles in Nine Newspapers alleging he had preyed on young men during his career, which his lawyers called “patently false”. Mr Jones reiterated his denial again in a video posted on Sunday.
He said he had gone to England as part of a long-standing promise to his 21-year-old godson to see “the best of London’s West End theatres”.
Jones denied going to London to “ask for help” from Jake Thrupp – the co-founder of Jones’ broadcast channel ADH TV.
Thrupp is studying at King’s College in the United Kingdom with financial support from Jones, but the network said his protégé was in Bali on vacation most of the time he was in London.
He had planned to return to the air, via the online platform ADH TV, in February, but health problems put obstacles in the way.
“I have every intention of eventually getting back into broadcasting, that’s what I’m doing,” Jones said.
“My work has been my life. I could have retired but as I have often said “if you quit, you quit”.
The view from an apartment in the Toaster, the Circular Quay building where Alan Jones sat at home with friends and revealed his devastation over allegations he completely denies
Alan Jones has had back and neck surgery over the years (above broadcaster in 2021), but a friend said this time he was “really struggling to bounce back”.
But Jones, who was recently seen walking with the help of a cane, said he had put off the operation for some time due to public commitments but was told he had to now urgently address issues that cause “trauma”. pain’.
The pain was so bad that it required a home visit from her doctor who “recommended medication and appropriate medical intervention.”
The doctor advised Jones to stop working immediately until his health problems were resolved.
“I haven’t suffered any mental aging, but I live with two choices: constant pain where painkillers become completely ineffective,” Jones said.
“Or a strong medication with side effects including loss of agility and movement and irregular sleep.”