Kyle Sandilands forced to deny outrageous ‘industry rumour’

The Sydney radio host has denied an appalling rumour about his recent health diagnosis, which was aired on an industry podcast at the weekend.

Kyle Sandilands has reacted to a nasty “rumour” he’s faking his brain aneurysm.

The KIIS FM co-host, 53, revealed his concerning health diagnosis on-air earlier this month, telling listeners doctors had made the discovery recently and that he needed emergency surgery.

Now, popular podcast Game Changers: Melbourne Radio Wars – which is hosted by industry veteran Craig Bruce, radio executive Wade Kingsley and programming executive Irene Hulme – has aired swirling gossip Sandilands is actually pulling a publicity stunt.

Sandilands was unaware of the rumour until it was raised by co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson on the Kyle and Jackie O Show Monday morning.

“You know your favourite podcast Game Changers … There was a rumour that popped up on their podcast, Wade, one of the hosts, he brought up a rumour in the industry about your brain aneurysm …” Henderson said.

She then played audio from the podcast, in which Kingsley says, “I can’t believe this would be true, but a rumour has got to me this week that Kyle is actually faking his brain aneurysm. Surely there’s no possibility they’ve set this up as a stunt, is there?”

Kyle Sandilands has hit back at a swirling “industry rumour”.

Jackie ‘O’ Henderson brought the rumour to his attention.

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Bruce, who worked at Southern Cross Austereo for three decades, believed questions may have come up regarding Sandilands’ diagnosis given he was yet to undergo “emergency surgery”.

“It’s not true,” he began. “The emergency surgery he was talking about last Monday that hasn’t happened yet has thrown a couple of people off.”

Bruce continued, “Don’t be surprised if there’s a living funeral. I wouldn’t be surprised if that idea is floating through the business at the moment. ‘Let’s make the most of this moment’. He’s [Sandilands] wanted to do it for a long time.”

Laughing it off, Sandilands confirmed he has long wanted to have a funeral for himself while he’s still alive, but squashed the idea his health scare has been for publicity.

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“I’m surprised at Craig Bruce … Years ago he was one of the most renowned radio genius’, but he hasn’t even taken his own advice here and done any research,” Sandilands said.

“The surprise that I haven’t had the emergency surgery is no surprise to anyone who listens to the show, because I’ve gone to the surgeon and it’s a strange shape, so it’s not a simple thing to get to.

“I’ve made it quite clear to journalists and on this show that it’s more dangerous to go in and get it out right now than it is to keep monitoring it.

“It is dangerous, I’ve got to change my whole lifestyle which is complete s**t, but it is what it is.”

The father-of-one added doctors would be monitoring his condition for “six months”.

Announcing his diagnosis for the first time on February 3, Sandilands said he needed surgery imminently.

Kyle Sandilands with wife Tegan and son Otto. Picture: Instagram

“I was told by my medical team, which sounds like I’m already very sick, to have a medical team, that I have a brain aneurysm and it requires immediate attention, brain surgery,” he said at the time.

“If you just tuned in to us after all these years, lap it up. And if you’re in Melbourne, you’re in the part, you’re coming to the party too late. You may get your wish. I may be dead.”

He went on to explain his brain aneurysm was “not a blockage” but rather a “puncture”.

“It’s like, imagine your blood vessel is the garden hose, and the garden hose is weak and it blisters out like a big bubble, you know, like a puncture in it, like a bike tire with a big bubble that bubbles the aneurysm, so it’s not blocked,” he explained.

“It’s like, it’s expanded and if it bursts, it’s either a vegetable in the wheelchair, or dead.”

Sandilands didn’t say when he was having the surgery, though explained he would need eight weeks to recover from it.