Jackie 'O' Henderson has shared a heartfelt message to her fans a day after revealing her private battle with addiction live on air.
Taking to her Instagram Story this morning, the 49-year-old Australian radio superstar thanked her listeners for their support.
"I just wanted to thank everyone who reached out yesterday with such kind and supportive messages," Henderson's message began.
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Jackie 'O' Henderson has thanked her fans for their support. (Instagram/@jackieo_official)"Your beautiful words truly mean the world to me. I'm taking the weekend to go through each one and respond as best as I can," she continued.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️❤️❤️".
It was 24 hours earlier when Henderson broke down in the middle of The Kyle & Jackie O Show during a reading from her upcoming memoir Jackie O: The Whole Truth.
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Henderson revealed she battled a pain killer, sleeping pill and alcohol addiction in private for three years, confessing her best friend and manager Gemma O'Neill had taken her to a 28-day 12-step program at a rehabilitation centre in California in November 2022.
"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."
When she went to the Betty Ford Centre in Palm Springs, Henderson announced publicly that she had been suffering from Covid and would be taking an extended break from The Kyle & Jackie O Show to focus on her health.
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Henderson shared this statement on her Instagram Story on Friday morning. (Instagram/@jackieo_official)Henderson called it a "lie by omission" when she read out parts of her memoir's prologue on air.
While she had been struck with COVID-19 and a lung infection, she was absent because she was undergoing treatment for her addiction battle.
She had kept it private until Thursday 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.
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Henderson made the emotional admission on air on Thursday morning. (KIIS FM)That group included her personal assistant, her parents and O'Neill. Extended family members and close friends – including Sandilands – had been kept in the dark until yesterday.
She 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.
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She credited her best friend and manager Gemma O'Neill with saving her life. (Instagram/ @jackieo_official)Henderson credited O'Neill with saving her life.
"I believe she saved my life, I actually do," Henderson said on air of O'Neill, who encouraged her to seek treatment, helped pack her bags and accompanied her on the more than 12,000km journey to Palm Springs.
"And I think we all need a friend like that."
She also 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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