Jackie O and best friend Gemma O’Neill reveal motivation behind new business

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and Gemma O’Neill are ‘besties’ whose new business is bringing Gwyneth Paltrow to Australia for the first time in two decades.

It’s a story of two women, two divorces – and the friendship that got them through the darkest of times.

KIIS FM’s Jackie ‘O’ Henderson and media powerhouse Gemma O’Neill have spent the last 20 years being each other’s cheerleaders, confidantes and – like so many female friendships – saviours. Never more so than over the last two years, when both endured painful and public divorces.

And last year, when Jackie needed help and took three weeks off air to recalibrate, she says no one was there for her like Gemma was. She got her out of bed, out of the house – made her realise things ‘had to change’.

“I can’t tell you how many highs and lows we’ve experienced together – we’ve gone on incredible trips and been in marriages where, at the time, were wonderful … we were trying to have children and sometimes that was a challenge and we were there for each other through that,” Jackie O tells Insider this week, after the pair announced they were launching new business ‘Besties’ – live events in conversation with the world’s biggest names.

And after Jackie O’s own wellness journey, bringing wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow to Australia for their first star-studded Besties night is fitting.

Gemma O'Neill and Jackie 'O' Henderson have launched new business 'Besties'. Picture: Emily Abay

“I think probably our most difficult period was, for sure, our divorces, and we went through almost in parallel … and you’re not out of it within a year, it takes several years.

“Some days are great and others not so great.

“And Gemma was also there for me last year when things weren’t so great for me – and she was the only one to say ‘this can’t continue’.

“There is that honesty that I get from her that I don’t get from really anyone else,” Jackie says of Gemma.

“There is that honesty that I get from her that I don’t get from really anyone else.

“I think people are sometimes too afraid to speak the truth, and I think it’s really rare and only your close friends will actually tell you the truth because they genuinely want the best for you and they can’t sit by and watch you not be your best self.

“Gemma has always wanted me to be the best version that I can be, and she’s been very instrumental in making that happen in my life.”

Talking to Insider from a European holiday with her seven and nine-year-old sons – a belated 40th birthday present to herself – O’Neill says she woke up to hundreds of messages about the news of Besties – their new website even crashed because of high traffic. It’s an emotional time for them both – and knowing they’ve gotten through a few hard years to emerge stronger and happier than ever, makes them proud.

“We had the idea for so long,” says O’Neill, who also counts Nicole Kidman as one of her best friends and now runs her talent management and production company, the Gemmie Agency, after 25 years in media.

Jackie and Gemma have been there for each other. Picture: Emily Abay

“If I’m being candid and truly honest, I think the last few years have been a test for each of us personally, because we’ve each been through divorce.

“I wouldn’t have made it through without her – and I think she’d probably say the same about me.”

“It feeds your soul,” Jackie continues.

“When you’re in that moment you’re like ‘oh, this feels so good being with your best girlfriends’, because you not only laugh so much and have these great memories – but you’re able to share things with them that you don’t with anyone else. Sometimes you can’t share those things even with your partner.

“And, as women, we love to obviously talk about all these things now. We don’t bottle them in as much, so for us, that’s really important and I know that whenever I’m feeling terrible or having a bad day, if Gemma comes over, she leaves and I’m right again.

“And that’s what’s so great about our female friends – it does feel like they’re nourishing us and it’s nice to be able to celebrate that with this.”

Gwyneth Paltrow. Picture: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

The pair, who speak “constantly, every day, about everything”, knew Besties would strike a chord because of how easily Paltrow agreed to help launch them. And while they’re keeping mum on their next famous “bestie”, she’s on the same calibre as their first, so audiences are in for a treat. The plan is for them to hold events twice a year, but if demand – and schedules allow – that may be increased.

“Gemma has incredible relationships having worked in a production company with Nicole (Kidman) for all those years, and then I also have them – so the second person on our list who we just reached out to – like probably a week after Gwyneth – and that came back with a very positive response and keen response,” Jackie says.

“I can’t say who it is but I will say that we want to maintain the quality and we have a standard, and I think that we’re keeping in line with that.

“Gemma was the one that wanted to do this originally. Last year she was saying ‘I really think this is great’ – and obviously I’ve not been in the most motivated place last year, I kept going, ‘yeah, this isn’t on my radar’.

“And then, this year, it was like, ‘you know what Gem, this is such a great idea, and this is so perfect for the both of us’.

“Because Gemma brings to the table all of the business acumen – like she does things I can’t comprehend – and then I bring the other side, and we balance each other out and we bring to the table the things that the other is missing.”

Besties co-founders Gemma and Jackie – Gemma brings the business acumen and Jackie brings the other side. Picture: Emily Abay

O‘Neill says they’ve talked about starting a business for years – and now is the time.

“I can’t even begin to tell you the number of ideas that we’ve had about businesses. I’ve got all these domain names registered – the most random businesses – and I still get emails going ‘your domain is being renewed’ and I’m like, oh, that was an idea from three years ago, when we were going to make salads and own a salad shop,” she laughs.

“But I’m not an expert in making salad.

“Whereas this felt so genuine and authentic, and we both felt that there was a gap in the market.

“There are all these options for other relationships in your life – romantic, etc – and we just felt there was a real gap in the market.

“And probably for me, personally, I felt like there were all these options out there – which is great – but to be a better leader or to be a better person, and for women in particular, we felt like – why do we always have to do more, be more, achieve more?

“It’s exhausting.

“Where’s the option to just have fun as women, and just be playful and have more joy in our lives.”

Show manager Nick Cervetto and breakfast content manager Gemma O'Neill behind the scenes of the Kyle And Jackie O Show in 2013.

Notoriously private, being in the public sphere is new for O’Neill.

“Jackie will attest to this, my whole career and my whole life has been being someone behind the scenes, and I actually feel really comfortable being very private – so this is very out of my comfort zone,” she says.

“So in a strange way, it’s probably a good thing that I’m not in Australia right now, because I’m just pretending it’s not happening.

“But, ultimately, it’s not about us – it’s about all the people, it’s about everyone else.

“I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for Jac because this is absolutely against my who I am usually, and it’s because of her support that we were able to even do it and that it became real.”

“When you find your person, you never let them go.” Picture: Emily Abay

“When you find your person, you never let them go,” Jackie agrees.

“I don’t know what I do without Gemma. I really don’t.

“I wouldn’t even be close to the person I am today without her.

“It’s a constant contact, and that support that you need.

“And you can’t just solely rely on one person to prop you up – that’s got to come from within yourself as well, but the support that she showed and just always being there for me during that – I feel like Gemma just knows the right thing to say when it comes to me.

“(You remember) the ones that don’t give up.”

Jackie O and her daughter kitty in St. Tropez. Picture: Instagram

Jackie’s dramatic 18lg weight loss has kept her in headlines over the last six months, never more so than after flaunting a slim, toned and tanned physique while tagging along on KIIS FM co-host Kyle Sandilands’ working honeymoon through the south of France. The WW ambassador, whose contact recently ended with the company, has attracted criticism by fans who don’t believe her weight loss was done naturally.

“There’s been a big change in me and I think a lot of people also want to make those kinds of changes, so they interested to know what you did and how you did it, so I can understand the interest there,” she explains.

“And I get it from the perspective of wanting to improve yourself and change your way of life.

“But when it’s just about the kilo loss, then they’re missing the whole point of why I did it in the first place.

“And I think by aligning with WW, even though they were instrumental in helping me get there – and they’re not just about just losing weight either, they want everything – your wellness is what’s important.

“And that’s what was most important to me – the wellness part.

Jackie O was the face of WW weight loss program – but it’s “not just about the kilo loss”. Picture: WW

“And the whole debate about did she do it? Did she do something else? I’m so done with that because I feel like those people are missing the point of what happened over that period, which was personal growth for me.

“And then the bonus, the icing on the cake, was yes, I lost weight as well.

“But I didn’t take up exercise and I didn’t quit alcohol just to get on the scales and be a kilo lighter each week.

“I did it because I needed it for everything – for my mental health, for all of it.

“I can’t stress that part enough.”

She may look different – but she feels different too. And that’s why she did it all in the first place.

“It’s like chalk and cheese,” she continues.

“I feel really happy.

Jackie O “feels really happy”. Picture: Instagram

“I’ve done a lot of work on myself and I’ve looked deep inside and asked myself many questions, and I’ve done a lot of things over this period.

“It hasn’t been easy, but the shift in my overall happiness has been really remarkable.

“And I feel like this year I’m having the best year I’ve ever had.

“People reach out to me and say, ‘hey, I’m in a slump, and what can I do about that?’ And it’s doing a lot of work on yourself in every aspect, and it’s just about what works for you.

“Is it meditation? and it’s trying all these things by the way, which is what I did.

“So it could be just starting with asking yourself questions on a piece of paper, important questions about your life.

“Where are you at? Are you happy with this? What are your bad habits? What are your good ones? And you just write and write and write, and you’d be amazed at the answers you’ll come up with when you write it out.

“And you start as simple as that.

Jackie and her “cheerleader” Gemma. Picture: Instagram

“And then you can start to go, well, what do I need to make changes? And then it’s about trying out all these things that work for you. And some won’t.

“Some people don’t have the patience for meditation, and for others, it does amazing things. “It’s a slow process, but it’s worth it.

“For me, I just feel like I really turned a corner and I worked really hard to turn that corner.

“And as a result, yes, I feel incredibly happy.”

Ever her cheerleader, O’Neill beams at her friend.

“I tell her all the time that I’m so proud of her, because she’s done the hard work to get herself to this point,” she says.

“And it wasn’t about losing weight.

“As she said, it was about getting her back to being the best version of herself, in totality.

“I just think she’s been incredible and what she’s done over the last year and how hard she’s worked at making sure that she’s done the work for her internal mental health as well, it’s been remarkable.

“I’m just in awe of her.”

Their “night to remember” will get up close and personal with Paltrow at Sydney’s ICC. It will be the Goop founder’s sole public appearance.

“Sharing stories with other women is one of my favourite things to do,” Paltrow says.

“It bonds us, lifts us all up and lets us celebrate what makes us all special.

“I’m so looking forward to coming to Australia with Besties to do just that.”

Tickets start from $100 and are available for pre-sale on Wednesday, July 26, by registering at www.besties.au or on general sale on Thursday via www.ticketek.com.au