Jackie ‘O’ Henderson broke down in tears Monday night as she detailed her heartbreaking battle with addiction.
The radio titan sat down with A Current Affair and revealed that his life became so bleak at one point after the collapse of his 18-year marriage to photographer Lee Henderson, it’s a miracle he survived.
“I coped very badly. I didn’t do it in a healthy way, that’s for sure,” he told host Allison Langdon.
‘I thought the answer was, ‘Oh, I’d better have a drink.’ It was a horrible existence, of simply not remembering, of not wanting to think, feel, do,’ he continued.
In a shocking confession, Jackie revealed that at her worst she was consuming up to 24 Panadeine Forte and 12 Stilnox sleeping pills a day.
“I don’t know how I woke up either… someone was watching over me,” the mother of one admitted.
Jackie ‘O’ Henderson broke down in tears Monday night as she detailed her heartbreaking battle with addiction. in the photo
The radio titan sat down with A Current Affair and revealed that his life became so bleak at one point after the collapse of his 18-year marriage to photographer Lee Henderson, it’s a miracle he survived.
“I coped very badly. I didn’t do it in a healthy way, that’s for sure,” she told host Allison Langdon. Pictured with ex-husband Lee Henderson in 2004.
The entertainment veteran went on to reveal that she routinely woke up gasping for air, describing the terrifying feeling as if she had “stopped breathing” during the night.
When asked if she cared about surviving, Jackie responded with complete honesty.
‘Not exactly. I don’t think so,’ he replied.
“Just goes to show how appearances can be deceiving, right?” he added.
Although Jackie has spoken before about her rehabilitation journey, she shed new light on how closely she kept the ordeal hidden.
“The only people who knew were my mom and dad, my brother, my personal assistant and my best friend,” he revealed.
When asked if she cared about surviving, Jackie responded with complete honesty. ‘Not exactly. I don’t think so,’ he replied. Pictured with presenter Allison Langdon
Even his former on-air partner Kyle Sandilands had no idea.
“He joked, ‘Oh God, are you going to rehab?’ when I said I needed time off,” Jackie recalled.
She remained silent and Kyle never suspected the real reason behind her absence.
When speaking about her decision to finally reveal her journey, Jackie reflected, “It was really important… to tell it the way I wanted it to be told.”
He added that he hopes his experience inspires others to seek help.
‘It’s very difficult to raise your hand… if someone raises their hand and says, ‘I’m going to rehab because I want to save myself… you shouldn’t feel like you have to hide it.’