Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed she thought her ex-husband had died and was on the verge of breaking down crying after a colleague said he 'was no longer with us' live on-air.
Honestly, in that moment my heart it was like I could feel the tears coming - and then he said, you know, he's leaving ARN. Nine has poached Henderson's ex just months after he became the first person to topple the network's outgoing talkback radio titan Ray Hadley in the ratings for the first time in more than two decades.
Jackie 'O' Henderson was celebrating her 50th birthday live on air when she was told that her first husband 'Ugly' Phil O'Neil was 'no longer with us' and she thought he had died. O'Neil was briefly married to fellow radio star Jackie 'O' Henderson in the 90s above, together. The journeyman disc jockey, who has plied his trade at some of the country's biggest radio networks throughout his four-decade career, including Nova, Triple M, 96FM and Star O'Neil said his new overnight program, which will run Tuesdays to Fridays and also be heard on 2GB's Brisbane-based sister station 4BC, would fulfil his long-held ambition to transition to talkback.
The move comes just months after O'Neil spectacularly unseated outgoing 2GB morning host Ray Hadley in his second-last ratings survey last November before hanging up his microphone for the final time last month.
He said he was sad to be leaving his 'second home' but looking forward to the new challenge of winning over yet another new audience. Heckβ¦I might even miss playing Roxette!! The GOLD Network's head of content, Sue Carter, said they had agreed to release O'Neil from his contract early so he could follow his talkback dream and that he left the media company on good terms.
