After being a staple on the airwaves for almost two decades, Jackie O took a break at the end of last year to prioritise her health.
In November 2022, the 47-year-old said she was temporarily taking a step back from The Kyle and Jackie O Show for health reasons, after a prolonged Covid infection knocked her immunity.
She said at the time, “Ever since picking up Covid, I’ve been to the doctor several times and he said because I’ve been pushing myself every day, after the show all I’ve been doing is sleeping and I’m not getting better.”
Now, Jackie is back on the air, telling news.com.au she feels the best she has in a very long time.
“It was hard to take that time off, so I was pushing through but I should have taken it off earlier,” she said, adding she kept telling herself holidays were just around the corner.
”But I just could not push myself any further. I’m glad I took care of my health first because I feel a million times better.”
Jackie said she spent a lot of her break sleeping, looking after her body and spending time with her daughter, Kitty, on a much-needed holiday in Fiji.
She also said she spent the last two months getting into newer, healthy habits, something she found impossible when she was constantly on air.
From cooking at home more regularly, exercising, and practising mindfulness, Jackie said taking the time off was the best thing she has ever done, and has encouraged others to listen to their body at the first sign of burn-out.
“Whatever position you’re in, I promise you’ll feel better about yourself when you start making steps towards that healthier lifestyle,” she said.
“And sometimes it just takes a week and you instantly feel like you’re getting energy back and your body feels better for it.”
“My number one priority is obviously my health and but when it comes to jobs, I love the job I do with breakfast radio, and that’s what I want to focus on.”
Image credits: Instagram
