JACKIE O’S HEALTH BATTLE
THE STAR TELLS HOW SHE’S PRIORITISING HER HEALTH ALONGSIDE HER HECTIC CAREER
She has a famously busy schedule but despite her pre-dawn starts as co-host of Sydney’s KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O breakfast radio show, Jacqueline Last, better known as “Jackie O”, says signing on for a third season of The Masked Singer was a “no-brainer”. Even if it meant getting by on two hours of sleep some nights while working across both projects! The star adds: “It’s a bit of a punish in terms of the hours but it’s so much fun on set, it doesn’t feel like a day at work at all.”
But the 46-year-old doesn’t sugar-coat the fact that over the years that same busy work schedule wreaked havoc on her sleeping patterns, her desire to exercise and what she was eating.
“When you’re busy and tired, it’s easy to spiral into bad habits for sure,” she tells WHO. Jackie O recently signed on as a WW (formerly Weight Watchers) ambassador and has lost an impressive 10kg since starting the program in June. “I just made a commitment to myself to eat well and exercise, and that has really helped,” she says.
You’re looking incredible right now! How are you feeling?
I’m feeling really good, thanks! This lockdown in many parts of the country has been so hard for so many people. I know the littlest thing can trigger you to not want to exercise or eat well, too. This time around I just committed to doing what I had to do. How are you fitting exercise and meal planning into your day? I just make sure that what I’m going to eat each day fits within my WW daily points allocation and then I know I’ll be OK. I’ve been going really well with that. I do want to walk a bit more than I am as I only really have time for that on the weekend at the moment. How have you been spending your time during lockdown?
Watching a lot of TV! I was massively obsessed with Australian Survivor this season. I couldn’t decide if I wanted contenders Hayley [Leake] or George [Mladenov] to win. I’ve smashed TV shows like The White Lotus, Nine Perfect Strangers, Dr Death and Clickbait. You name it, I’ve watched it.
You’ve just filmed your third season of The Masked Singer. What draws you to this show?
I think we need a show like this more than ever right now. We’re all feeling a bit heavy and drained by the pandemic. It’s a really scary and lonely time for some people. Even if your situation isn’t too bad, I think a lot of us are just generally not feeling ourselves. The Masked Singer is the happy, escapist TV we need and I’m glad I get to be a part of it. What’s different about the reality singing competition this year?
You’ll be very surprised by who’s behind the masks. The production team were able to get international talent involved this year. They basically said to us on the panel, “Don’t be afraid to go big with your guesses. If you think it’s someone from overseas, go for it because we’ve got them.”
Could your daughter Kitty come to set? Yes, we filmed this season in Sydney this year so she was part of our filming bubble. She didn’t love the fact it involved COVID testing every day, but she also got to come to work with me and watched some incredible performances. She gave me tips on who might be behind the masks. She was like my little PA. I loved having her there. You’ve worked with host Osher Günsberg and the other panellists Dannii Minogue, Dave Hughes and Urzila Carlson for a while now. What’s the dynamic like ?
Osher is like a living Wikipedia page – he should be on the panel, he’s so good with his musical knowledge. Dannii is the kindest soul; a girl you could share a secret with and know she’d never tell. Urzila is like a hilarious sister. Dave is the best, too. We now both work ridiculous breakfast radio hours, so we’ve got a special camaraderie. We all support one another so well.
“I committed to doing what I had to do” JACKIE O
After decades of hosting her namesake TV show, Oprah Winfrey was hailed as the “Queen of America” and mixed with the crème de la crème of US society including Hollywood A-listers and former presidents. Despite her popularity, Rose McGowan has made it clear she is no fan of the talk show host.
In a scathing post she shared to Twitter on August 29, the Charmed actress, 48, slammed Winfrey, admitting she thought her warm and caring public persona was all for show. “I am glad more are seeing the ugly truth of Oprah,” McGowan wrote. “I wish she were real, but she isn’t.” The sledge accompanied an image of Winfrey, 67, cosying up to disgraced Hollywood film
producer and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, 69, at the Critics’ Choice Awards in 2014. The picture was taken years before 87 women, including McGowan, came forward to accuse the once-powerful movie mogul of sexual assault and rape in 2017.
Nevertheless, McGowan took aim at Winfrey for not doing enough to support the survivors of sexual assault. “From being pals with Weinstein to abandoning & destroying Russell Simmons’ victims, she is about supporting a sick power structure for personal gain,” McGowan explained. “She is as fake as they come,’ she added.
Winfrey became “friendly” with Weinstein when she starred in his 2012 film, The Butler. “Was I friendly with Harvey? Yes, I was friendly with Harvey,” she later explained of their relationship on the Goop podcast. “Was I in association with Harvey for the Butler movie? Yes, but of course I didn’t know any of this was going on,” she added.
In her tweet, McGowan also referred to rap mogul Simmons, the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings. In 2020, Winfrey abruptly pulled her support of documentary On the Record, which explored his alleged sexual abuse of several women. The talk show host, who had been the executive producer of the special, later admitted that Simmons had asked her not to be involved in the project, but denied that is why she pulled the plug. “He did reach out multiple times and attempted to pressure me,” Winfrey told Associated Press.
Instead, the star said she decided to pull out of the documentary after her “creative vision” and the filmmakers didn’t align, but that she fully supported the victims who had come forward.
“The women in this film have made a great sacrifice by coming forward to tell their stories in their own words,” Winfrey said in a statement.
McGowan’s words are sure to be a blow for Winfrey, who admitted to being a victim of childhood sexual assault herself. During her mental health TV series The Me You Can’t See, which she produced with Prince Harry, 36, Winfrey relived the pain of being repeatedly raped by an older cousin when she was just 9 years old.
“I didn’t even know what was happening to me, and I kept that secret,” Winfrey revealed, adding she was subjected to the sexual assaults until the age of 14. “And it’s just something I accepted: that a girl child ain’t safe in a world full of men.”