Jackie O: ‘It’s scary to earn a lot of money as a single woman’

In her most frank interview ever, Jackie O has the final word on “frustrating” speculation around her weight loss, opens up on dating as a single mum and self-made millionaire and what she’s worried about her daughter Googling about her one day.

“As a female, when you’re single, it’s quite scary to earn a lot of money because a lot of men can be intimidated by that. So your instinct is to downplay it, but we can’t be like that. We should be proud. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am.” Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar

As she sits down with the Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, the radio star has the final word on speculation around her recent weight loss, explains why she doesn’t “sugar-coat stuff” with her young daughter and gets candid about owning her status as a self-made wealthy woman: “Your instinct is to downplay it, but we should be proud.”

On the overwhelming response to her appearance on Stellar’s cover in May, which sparked headlines, a wealth of positive feedback, but also a lot of conversation about her weight, and how that discussion sat with her – particularly as a reflection of cultural assumptions around who is deemed cover-worthy:

“A lot of people said, ‘Oh, Stellar only wanted you when you lost weight.’ I want to clarify that was absolutely not the case. You guys had been trying for years; we all know now that I was going through stuff, and I just didn’t feel like I was in a place where I really wanted to shout it to the rooftops.

“It has been that way for so long, where only size 0 would get on the cover of a magazine, [so] it’s hard to stop thinking that way. For someone like me, who’s in her 40s and grew up with those magazines and supermodels who were always the same size, it’s so ingrained that it’s hard to understand we’re changing. That takes time. We still have a lot of changes to make for women to believe all sizes are beautiful.

“A lot of people said, ‘Oh, Stellar only wanted you when you lost weight.’ I want to clarify that was absolutely not the case,” says Jackie. Picture: Simon Upton for Stellar

“My daughter [Kitty, 12] is very much in a world where now – on TikTok, or their friends – it’s all about embracing all sizes. If anyone were to weight shame or fat shame that would be the worst thing you could do. Sometimes I’ve said comments about myself that she pulls me up on. So I do like to see the way the younger generation are thinking, and I think that’s going to bring it forward in a really positive way.”

On the persistent rumours that Henderson’s weight loss was the result of having taken Ozempic, the diabetes medication that is also being used by some to suppress their appetite:

“When the Ozempic rumours first came out, I was like, ‘Oh, are you joking?’ I know how hard I’ve worked and I haven’t taken that.

“I was frustrated when those were coming out and I found the more I was defending myself, the more I felt, OK, this is a losing battle because the people who believe I have, or was taking Ozempic, you’re never going to change their mind. Because I think they want to believe it.

“I know I didn’t take any short cuts. It’s just not what I did. I can’t really deny it any more than I have. I’ll take a lie-detector test. You got one?”

On discussing her personal life on The Kyle & Jackie O Show, the breakfast radio program on KIISFM that she has co-hosted with Kyle Sandilands since 2005 – particularly in the past five years as she split from and eventually divorced ex-husband Lee Henderson, and whether she felt pressure from listeners who wanted to know the details of their marriage’s demise:

“I haven’t felt that pressure from our audience. They love to hear as much personal stuff as possible but I’m happy to talk about it if it’s only reflective of me. I would never say anything that I feel would impact the other person.

“I have nothing but respect for Lee. We have a wonderful relationship and he’s an incredible father. I’m very lucky that everything ended so well and there’s no bitterness. So I don’t feel like there’s anything I’m not sharing with the audience. There’s not much to share. It’s nothing salacious.

“But going forward, I don’t know what that will look like. Because Lee was always very tolerant of it. I mean, Kyle would hammer Lee, he really would go so hard on him and Lee was so fine with it. He didn’t care. But you know, that’s Lee. I don’t imagine everyone’s going to be like that.”

On how she navigates and explains the intensity of life in the spotlight – and the attendant media coverage – to her 12-year-old daughter Kitty:

“I don’t tend to sugar-coat stuff. I’ll tell her. She’s grown up with it; it’s not like she just took off a blindfold one day and was bombarded with all of this. She’s never had a problem with anything so far.

“She understands that, you know, 23 years on radio … you’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to say things that you regret. But if I’m honest with her, she’s not judging me or ashamed or worried.

“I’m so grateful I’ve got a daughter who is one of those people who don’t judge. She’s like this old soul. I mean, she’s way more advanced than I am in that regard. She’s incredibly wise and accepting. She’s very understanding of what the job entails.”

Jackie O features in this weekend’s edition of Stellar, with Bec Judd on the cover.

On owning her financial independence and her status as a self-made female millionaire, and why she opted to show up in person for the auction of the $13.25 million beachfront mansion she bought in March:

“I was really proud of myself that day, because I had my daughter with me. I’m a single mum now and it was nice to be able to show her that we can have financial independence. My dream since I was a little girl was to own a beachfront home.

“Over the years I’ve said, I wonder if I’ll ever be able to do that … So I went to the auction, and I’m glad I did. And if I hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have got that place. I know that for sure. I do sometimes get embarrassed to talk about money.

“I hate showing off wealth. I want a nice bag and a nice car and a nice house, but I don’t want to flaunt it. At the same time, I shouldn’t be embarrassed about it. So I’m trying to take a little bit more ownership of that.

“You know, a man, they’d absolutely be owning that. As a female, when you’re single, it’s quite scary to earn a lot of money because a lot of men can be intimidated by that. So your instinct is to downplay it, but we can’t be like that. We should be proud. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am.”

On landing Gwyneth Paltrow as the first guest to appear at a live, in-conversation event being held in October, which will mark the official launch of Besties, her new business venture with best friend and media executive Gemma O’Neill:

“I was surprised at how quickly she agreed to it. It helped that both Gemma and I have a relationship with her. She was first on my list because I know what she can give in an interview.

“She’s not that guarded and she’s very forthcoming. But it’s true to her. I always admire people who stick to their guns and go, ‘No, this is me. This is my world and it’s not for everyone.’

“Ultimately, she’s just doing what she loves. I think she’ll have a lot of really valuable information for any women out there – or men – who are starting their own business. She’ll be a great first guest for us. She can be pretty edgy. So I like where that might go.”

For more information about Besties, visit besties.au.

Listen to the full interview with Jackie O on Something To Talk About here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Originally published as Jackie O: ‘It’s scary to earn a lot of money as a single woman’