Tearful Jackie O reveals past drug addiction
Jackie O Henderson has revealed her private battle with drug addiction that resulted in a stint in rehab.
On her KIIS FM radio show with Kyle Sandilands, Jackie O read an excerpt from her autobiography The Whole Truth, that is set to his shelves on October 29th, detailing her struggles with addiction two years ago.
Henderson said she was “badly addicted” to painkillers, sleeping pills and consuming alcohol for three years, before checking herself in for a month-long stay at the Betty Ford Centre in Palm Springs, California, in November 2022.
The radio host said she was feeling “so nervous” to read out the excerpt, as it was “something I haven’t been very forthcoming about or very truthful about”, recalling how she was feeling “diminished, untethered and alone”.
“By that point, I had no self-esteem, so I was insecure, vulnerable, and heartbroken,” she read.
“It was a recipe for disaster, and I took the coward’s way out to escape those feelings.”
Jackie admitted that it was only a small circle of friends who knew about her addiction, with Sandilands saying he was oblivious to his co-host's struggles.
“I just didn’t want anyone to know until I had at least gotten a year or more of sobriety under my belt,” Henderson said.
“I can only speak to my experience because my addiction is so different to anyone else’s."
“But people can ask me anything they want, and I’m OK with that. I brought this up, I put it out there myself, so I’m well and truly OK talking about it. I’m excited that I can be more authentic than I’ve ever been.”
She went on to recall how before she flew to America for rehab, she told her audience that she was taking time off for the end of the year.
“But I know I won’t make it that far, I’m hanging on by a thread,” she read from her book.
“There’s only one thing to do today, get on a plane for Los Angeles. My best friend and manager Gemma O’Neill is with me … she tells me I won’t need any fancy dresses where I’m going.”
Henderson recalled grabbing lunch with O’Neill the day of their flight and being “teary”, adding, "Not because I don’t want to go on this journey but because I don’t have the faintest idea what it will be like and that scares me.”
At the Betty Ford Centre, she was enrolled in a 28-day, 12-step program to “treat the substance dependence and drug addiction I’ve been able to keep secret for three long and painful years”.
The 49-year-old said there were “lots of different reasons” for her addiction, but did not go into any on-air.
Henderson said she went back and forth about whether to share her story but decided to make it public, “to use my story to help people”.
She ended the emotional segment by sharing her gratitude that the story had never previously emerged and she was soon to celebrate her two-year sobriety milestone.
“My life has changed for the better and I’m really, really thankful that I did it,” she said.
Image credits: Instagram