High Steaks: Retiring radio legend John Laws opens up about love, loss and regrets

Radio legend John Laws opens up about love, loss and regrets as his final day on air looms. Watch the video.

It is in the early evening John Laws misses his late wife the most.

Sitting on his balcony overlooking the water at Woolloomooloo in the inner city, the legendary broadcaster says it is at “twilight time” he most feels the loss of his beloved Caroline.

“I miss Caroline,” he says of his partner of 44 years, who died in 2020.

“We sort of shared everything together. She could be a bit of a handful but I can too … only a bit. I miss talking to her and cuddling her.”

The Sunday Telegraph sits down for lunch with Laws, 89, at Otto, one of his and Caroline’s favourite restaurants. Laws still eats there almost every day.

“It is very handy because I live just down there,” he says as he points to the end of Woolloomooloo Wharf. “I do like it, I am very fond of the people. I owned it once, I don’t know why I sold it. Apart from that, they are aware of my quite idiosyncratic behaviour.”

John Laws and his wife Caroline at a David Jones fashion parade in 1997.

What idiosyncrasies?

“I don’t know, I think I am probably pretty easy really,” he says straight faced, looking at his long-time business manager Jodee Borgo for an answer.

“We are not getting approval there but I know what I want and if I don’t get it, I complain. I always get it.”

John Laws has announced his retirement from radio, and will deliver his final broadcast on November 9. Picture: Richard Dobson

The veteran talkback host, known as “the Golden Tonsils”, will officially retire – for a second time – on November 8, when he finishes his shift on the airwaves at 2SM radio in Pyrmont. His final day will mark 71 years on air. Laws is pragmatic about the major life decision he says he made on the morning of the retirement announcement earlier this month.

He will fly to Italy for a holiday the day after hanging up his headphones.

“I hope I have (contributed), it would be terrible if I’d sat around doing f---all for 70 years,” he said. “I feel quite okay about it (retiring). Am I meant to feel any different? I don’t know what the next chapter is, I have no idea, I don’t think much about it.”

Laws never holds back and, when he speaks, people listen.

John Laws at Otto Restaurant in Woolloomooloo. Picture: Tim Hunter

From Bette Davis, Charlton Heston and Sean Connery to 16 prime ministers, Laws has interviewed major entertainment, sporting and political figures over the decades. He counts former PMs John Howard, Paul Keating and the late Bob Hawke as his favourite interview subjects.

Laws scored his first on-air gig in 1953 at Bendigo station, 3BO. Four years later, he joined metro broadcaster 2UE. There, he became one of the first DJs to play rock ‘n’ roll music, and rose to become one of the country’s most powerful talkback radio hosts – and one of Australia’s highest-paid radio personalities.

He stepped away from radio for four years from 2007, before returning to his job at 2SM and the Super Radio Network.

Laws is not impressed by the current state of the media.

“I think it is in a really boring f---ing place. I just think it is predictable, especially the radio industry, but I still love it and I don’t want to be critical of it. I don’t think it does what it could do,” he says.

When asked what the industry could do better, he quips: “Oh, get rid of a few people that are a pain in the arse.”

John Laws sits on bonnet of his 1954 MG, one of his collection of restored cars up for auction in 1994. “I loved driving too fast.”

Arguably the biggest figure in radio today is controversial KIIS FM host Kyle Sandilands, a broadcaster Laws thinks is “a talent”.

“I happen to like Kyle. I think he is very interesting and he is no dill. He likes to give the impression that he is a dill,” he says. “I sent him a wedding present.”

Despite his tough exterior, Laws shows his soft side over lunch as he opens up about his late wife, his love of fast cars and a glass of gin and tonic. Occasionally, he shows off a cheeky smile.

“I should have died on a number of occasions,” he says when asked his greatest achievement in life.

“I’ve been a bit mad. I’ve driven too fast and ridden motorcycles where I shouldn’t have ridden them, and been a bit of a tear around. I’ve been a bit bloody stupid but I loved it, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I loved being stupid. I loved driving too fast. I loved riding my motorbike down the main street of some little town that I didn’t know. I’ve had a terrific time.”

Journalist Jonathan Moran with John Laws. The radio personality does not reflect on the past but focuses on the future. Picture: Tim Hunter

Retirement has not prompted Laws to reflect on the past. He is focusing on the future.

“So long as I haven’t left too many scarred individuals,” he says. “So long as I haven’t hurt too many people, that really bothers me, and I think there have been times where I have, out of selfishness, but I’ve tried to patch that up. I’ve always tried to be a better person, not worse, even though worse was better.”

One person he regrets hurting is his first wife, Sonia. That relationship famously ended when she found him in a motel room with another woman, Yvonne, who went on to become his second wife. Caroline was his third wife.

“And, have I been selfish with my career? I hope so,” he says. “It was my career, I wanted to get in there and do it, and I wanted to do it the way I felt was the right way to do it, which is what I’ve done.”

When he does finally hang up the headphones for good, travel will be his priority.

“I will go anywhere, anywhere that I haven’t been. I have got a very inquiring mind. You can’t know everything but I am very interested in life generally because I happen to be living it,” he says.

One final question for the voracious news junkie – who will win the upcoming United States election?

“I think Trump is going to win. I do like (Kamala Harris), I think that she has obviously got a lot of talent, but I don’t think America is ready for that. I don’t know that America is really ready for anything,” he says.

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Originally published as High Steaks: Retiring radio legend John Laws opens up about love, loss and regrets