Kyle Sandilands has shocked people plenty of times over the years but this admission might be the most honest yet.

Grief is tough because there is no end date. Time helps, but it is something you always live with, not something you eventually get over.

It is a true equaliser and often it catches you by surprise.

One minute you’re going about your day, and the next, you’re having an emotional moment with Australia’s biggest radio shock jock and you’re both fighting back tears.

Not relatable? Okay let me explain.

I appeared on The Kyle and Jackie O Show today, to discuss my news.com.au video series, Mary Wants to Know, where I ask everyday people topical questions, such as – “Is it embarrassing to live at home over the age of 25?” or “Do you find it attractive when men cry?”

What started with a conversation about the stigma men face when crying (Jackie O thinks it’s hot, by the way) ended ironically with me in tears and Sandilands admitting he was getting choked up.

Sandilands explained that he started crying because he was thinking about his good friend and mentor, John Laws. Picture: Media Mode.

When I shared that self-soothing habit I’ve developed due to grief, both Jackie O and Sandilands looked overcome with emotion. Picture: TikTok/KyleandJackieO
The radio co-host, often known for causing controversy with his honest opinions, took a moment to be vulnerable.

“The last time I cried was Monday morning at 11am,” he said.

“I was sitting on the beach on the Gold Coast after doing the radio show with my son, building sandcastles.”

Sandilands explained that he started crying because he was thinking about his good friend and mentor, John Laws, who passed away this year at the impressive age of 90.

Sandilands explained that he started crying because he was thinking about his good friend and mentor, John Laws. Picture: Matrix.
The beloved radio veteran had a broadcasting career that spanned an incredible 70 years, and Sandilands explained he felt like family to him.

“It felt like the death of a grandfather. I liked him and we had a good friendship,” he said.

When he died, Sandilands took to X to share his grief, writing that there was no one like the radio star and that he’d be missed.

But grief is not just one moment; it is an ongoing journey, and Sandilands explained that he has been thinking about Laws a lot.

“I had a moment to myself because my son was obsessed with his sandcastles and the sun was shining through the clouds, and it was one of those biblical, Jesus, moments, and then I thought ‘That is John,’” he said.

“A tear rolled down my cheek and I had a little chat with him.”

Sandilands’ raw admission about grief, and how it often catches you off guard, when you least expect it, prompted me to share my own experience.

I lost my dad two years ago, and it feels like a cliche to say, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him, but it’s true.

Beloved radio veteran John Laws had a broadcasting career that spanned an incredible 70 years. Picture: X

I lost my fad two years ago, and I think about him every day. Picture: News.com.au
It’s more than that though. I look for him everywhere and it’s a constant loss not to have him around.

I then shared on-air that after my dad died, I developed a little habit to make it feel like he is still with me.

My whole life, my father had really strong hands. He was a boxer, and we used to play this game where I’d beg him to squeeze my hands as hard as he could until eventually I’d relent.

I guess the point of the game was to see how much pain I could tolerate. I dunno, I was a weird kid, and he was an obliging dad who could play this silly game with me while still watching the football. So it was a win/win.

As I got older, he’d often squeeze my hand firmly when I was nervous or anxious, and it always had this really grounding effect.

My father was always tough to me, and even his hands felt tough, and it made me feel safe and secure, and really bloody loved.

I miss those hand squeezes more than anything.

So I explained on air that now, “whenever I’m nervous about something, I squeeze my own hands,” I said.

I squeeze my hands twice, and I pretend it is Dad squeezing my hand, giving me strength, and it helps me be brave.

It reminds me he is still only ever a hand-squeeze away.

Sandilands is not a stranger to crying on air; he teared up earlier this year, sharing his brain-aneurysm diagnosis. Picture: TikTok/KyleSandilands

When I shared my story, both Jackie O and Sandilands looked overcome with emotion. Picture: TikTok/JackieOHenderson
When I shared that self-soothing habit I’ve developed due to grief, both Jackie O and Sandilands looked overcome with emotion.

“I love that,” Sandilands said.

I then found myself crying a little bit.

“I feel like I’m getting all-welled up,” he admitted.

And when I looked over at him, I could see that he was. In that moment, he wasn’t Kyle Sandilands, radio king and television personality, it was just two everyday people bonding over a shared experience with grief.

Sandilands is not a stranger to crying on air; he teared up earlier this year while sharing his brain aneurysm diagnosis, but he still is not known for sharing his vulnerable side.

However he did today, and the more space we leave to talk about grief, not just directly after loss, but how it stays with us, the better off we all are.

It was a good reminder that although grief can feel lonely, we aren’t ever really alone and there are always people there to talk to.

In my case, today it was a famous radio host.