Radio host Kyle Sandilands has revealed that he will undergo “immediate” brain surgery after being diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. The 53-year-old co-host of Sydney's top-rating FM breakfast show, The Kyle & Jackie O Show, announced the news on air on Monday, explaining that he had been suffering from debilitating headaches that led to the diagnosis.
Sandilands was absent from the show on Friday due to illness. On Monday, he told listeners: “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 showed staff his brain scan, pointing at the aneurysm and saying: “If that bursts, I die instantly.”
He did not specify a date for the surgery but said he could be absent from the airwaves for up to eight weeks. “So if you just tuned in to us after all these years, lap it up. And if you’re in Melbourne, you’re coming to the party too late. You may get your wish. I may be dead. It is possible, it is highly possible,” he added.
Sandilands said his wife’s eyes “well up with tears” every time he looks at her, and that she is already counting down the days. He also joked about doctors’ instructions to avoid sex and drugs before the surgery, saying: “The facts are, a life of cocaine abuse and partying are not the way to go.”
Sandilands and his co-host Jackie Henderson have presented breakfast radio together for over 20 years, and their show has rated number one in Sydney for 47 consecutive surveys. However, the programme is known for breaching decency standards, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority finding repeated violations. Last year, a $200m, 10-year deal to expand into Melbourne failed, with the show dropping to a 5% market share.
