EXCLUSIVE
Broadcaster Alan Jones ‘is an absolutely broken man’ friends have revealed, left ‘completely devastated’ by historical allegations of indecent assault which he denies.
The radio veteran ended months of silence on Sunday when he released a video detailing the serious health problems which had delayed his scheduled return to this online channel.
The 82-year-old defiantly vowed to eventually resume his broadcasting career after returning to from the UK.
However Jones’ close supporters said it was not just his physical issues, but the mental trauma inflicted by the indecent assault claims which had accounted for his public absence.
In the wake of a series of stories in Nine Newspapers in December alleging he preyed on young men during his lengthy career, Jones held talks with his confidantes at his luxury apartment in the ‘Toaster’ building at Sydney’s Circular Quay.
The allegations were described as ‘demonstrably false’ by Jones’ lawyers and he has not been charged over them.
The former king of Sydney talkback radio took off for London soon after the allegations were published; a trip Jones said on Sunday had long been planned to celebrate his godson’s 21st birthday and take in some West End shows.
A close friend said Jones needed the break, as he ‘was really struggling to bounce back from his latest health battles’.
The friend said Jones, who has undergone several back and neck operations, ‘was taking much longer than anticipated to recover from surgery, his health had rapidly deteriorated and he was ‘basically just getting old’.
Now that he has returned from London, Jones announced his plans to get back behind the microphone have been delayed by a further wave of health concerns.
Former radio broadcaster Alan Jones ‘is an absolutely broken man’ friends have revealed and has been ‘completely devastated’ by historical allegations of indecent assault which he refutes
In the video released on Sunday, he reiterated his denial of the Nine allegations and said the reason for his absence from was not what had been suggested in the media.
‘I’m not going to dwell here on the allegations made about me other than I refute them entirely and the inferences associated with them,’ Jones said.
‘But the “Get-Jones” campaign is nothing new in my life.’
The former Wallabies rugby union and rugby league coach said the timing of his trip to London was entirely coincidental with the publication of the allegations.
Mr Jones was the subject of Nine Newspapers stories alleging he preyed on young men during his career, which his lawyers described as ‘demonstrably false’ and Mr Jones again reiterated his denial in a video released on Sunday
He said he went to England as part of a longstanding promise to his 21-year-old godson to see the ‘best of London’s West End theatres’.
Jones denied he was in London to ‘seek help’ from Jake Thrupp – the co-founder of Jones’ broadcast channel ADH TV.
Thrupp is studying at King’s College in the UK with financial support from Jones, but the broadcaster said his protege was in Bali on holiday for most of the time he was in London.
He had intended to get back on air, via online platform ADH TV, in February however health issues had thrown a spanner in the works.
‘I have every intention of returning to broadcasting eventually, it is what I do,’ Jones said.
‘My work has been my life. I could have retired but as I’ve often said ‘if you stop, you drop’.’
The view from an apartment in the Toaster, the Circular Quay building where Alan Jones sat at home with friends and revealed his devastation at allegations which he completely denies
Alan Jones has undergone back and neck surgery over years (above the broadcaster in 2021) but a friend said this time he was ‘was really struggling to bounce back’
But Jones, who had been seen walking with the aid of a cane in recent times, said that he had been putting off surgery for some time due to public commitments but had been told he now urgently needed to address the issues which are causing ‘traumatic pain’.
The pain was such that it required a home visit by his doctor who ‘recommended medication and appropriate medical intervention’.
The doctor advised Jones to stop working immediately until his health issues had been addressed.
‘I have suffered no mental ageing, but I am living with two choices – constant pain where painkillers become totally ineffective,’ Jones said.
‘Or powerful medication with side effects including loss of agility and movement and erratic sleep.’