"It’s not easy." At 15, Kyle Sandilands found himself living on the streets.

This post deals with abuse and might be triggering for some readers.

Kyle Sandilands has lived many different lives over the past 50 years.

Whilst today he is one half of the highest-paid radio duo in Australia, he has also been a survivor of family abuse, a nightclub king and someone who has nearly lost his job several times.

Opening up about his early life on Australian Idol last night, Sandilands shared he found himself homeless for a year as a teenager.

The 51-year-old, who is a judge on the new season of the show, shared his story after 25-year-old Darwin mum Isabella Vicente spoke about getting back on her feet after her own experience of homelessness.

"You may not know this," Sandilands began. "But I was homeless when I was 15 for a year, it's not easy."

"And getting out of that situation and making your life matter, that's impressive, just getting out of that situation, because most people don't." 

Vicente said she "didn’t know" about Sandilands' past, which also came as a surprise to the other judges. 

"Me neither..." said fellow judge Amy Shark. "I don’t think any of us did."

Sandilands, who recently became a father, went on to say that he doesn’t talk about it often. 

"It’s not easy, you don’t wanna run around… It’s a bit embarrassing sometimes."

The radio host previously spoke about his time living on the streets on Mamamia's No Filter podcast, where he explained he was thrown into homelessness after hosting a party for his school friends while his mother and her partner were away one weekend. 

"It was one of those big out-of-control Facebook looking parties before Facebook existed," said Sandilands.

"I was out in my mum's car and my other friends were in my stepfather's car and other people were having sex in their bed. It was wild."

When his mother and step-father unexpectedly returned in the early hours of the morning, he was kicked out and told by his step-father he was "never welcome back here". 

"Because they were so strict, I just believed every word. I was a bit terrified as a kid. So I just rode off on my bike."

The radio host said his primary concern after being rejected from his family home was his safety.

"The first night I was really scared. I think I rode my bike around and cried and cried and cried until I stopped in the park somewhere and I was just scared," he remembers. "I didn't know where to go or who was around."

Sandilands later found shelter in the only place he felt safe - behind the local supermarket. 

"For the first few months [of being homeless], I stayed behind a local supermarket where they throw all their boxes out. I would steal a loaf of bread and a carton of milk from the early morning deliveries, and I would eat the whole loaf of bread and drink the whole carton of milk. And that's all I'd eat every day, day in, day out."

A year later he was living with his Aunty in Townsville when he came across an advertisement for a radio job, looking for someone to drive around town for one hour a day and give away free stuff. He got the job by lying that he had his driver's licence.

Here are seven other surprising moments from Sandilands' No Filter interview. 

Kyle Sandilands on growing up in an abusive household.

Sandilands grew up in an unhappy, abusive household with an angry father. 

But before his days on the street, he lived with his mother and step-father in Brisbane.

As a victim-survivor, the abuse suffered by Sandilands' mother meant she was "very soft and never spoke up".

"I didn't blame her for that because I lived through those early years with my dad drinking and the abuse. It was horrible. So I was just glad that she was with someone that wasn't hurting her."

Sandilands says that witnessing the abuse of his mother shaped who he is in romantic relationships today. 

"I'm very soft with women. I believe it's because I watched my mum live a torturous life. So I am a little bit more sensitive. I couldn't stand seeing her screaming or crying or being injured. That was very difficult. I witnessed all of that and I was too small to do anything. I physically tried to stop it many times, but I got injured myself."

Listen to Kyle Sandilands' interview on No Filter. Post continues below. 

Kyle Sandilands on his relationship with Tegan Kynaston.

Kyle and Tegan have been together for over a year. Image: Instagram/@tegankynaston.

Last year, Sandilands welcomed his first child with his fiancée and former communications manager, Tegan Kynaston.

Speaking about their relationship on No Filter, the 51-year-old said, "We knew each other five years before we worked with each other, then a job came up in my office... She worked with me for quite a few years. And then once Imogen [Anthony] and I split up, there was a bit of time where I was by myself."

"She happened to be single at the same time I happened to be single and I think we just admitted to each other - this is a long time after Imogen and I finished - that there are feelings here," he recalled. "I didn't even bring it up first because I'm really her employer... So she asked me, 'Why did we never date?' And then it just sort of developed slowly from there. It was nice. It came from a real friendship place."

The couple have been together since late 2019. 

Kyle Sandilands' pay parity with Jackie O. 

Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' host the top rating radio show in Sydney. Image: Instagram.

From the beginning of their on-air partnership, Sandilands insisted he and Jackie O be paid equally. 

Sandilands explained that when he first joined Jackie O on the radio, he was offered a salary of $258,000 whilst Jackie was on $80,000 a year. 

Sandilands went to his general manager and demanded pay parity, even if that meant taking a cut out of his own salary. The manager agreed they should be paid the same and since then the radio duo decided to negotiate their salaries together.

"From the beginning, it was just expected. I wouldn't expect to earn any more than her," Sandilands said.

Sandilands nearly became a father "three or four times".

Kyle Sandilands said he is "neutral" to the prospect of becoming a father. Image: Getty.

During the interview, which took place before Sandilands welcomed his son, Sandilands revealed he nearly become a father "three or four times" over the years, with partners becoming pregnant. 

"Each time the girl I was with has decided it's not the right time for us, or it didn't carry on to full term. I've had both and both is sad," he shared.

Speaking about parenting, the radio host said, "I'm a big believer, coming from a broken childhood, that you've both got to really dedicate your life [to your children]." 

"You've got to not be selfish. You've got to not let that kid come second; that's just not an option."

'My first divorce left me heartbroken.'

Kyle Sandilands and Tamara Jaber in 2007. Image: Getty.  

When Kyle Sandilands was a rising star on the radio scene, he met Tamara Jaber, of Popstars fame, when she was 18.

The couple were together for eight years before they married in 2008 and then split two years later.

"I had my heart broken," Sandilands shares. "I was devastated. I ran away and lived in America in a hotel for six months and did the [radio] show from America."

"I handled it pretty immaturely because I just sort of shut everyone out and ran away."

The 51-year-old said he "felt like a bit of a failure from the marriage not working out" and distracted himself for a while after by being frequenting the nightclub scene.

The media personality added that he isn't in touch with Tamara Jaber now. 

Why Kyle Sandilands' relationship with Imogen Anthony ended.

Kyle Sandilands and his former girlfriend, Imogen Anthony. Image: Instagram.  

Sandilands' most high-profile relationship was the one he shared with Imogen Anthony, a model who is 19 years his junior. 

The two had an eight-year relationship before they parted ways in November 2019.

Sandilands said Anthony "went from a young girl into a woman," having first met her when she was 20 years old and he was 39. 

"It's not as if we couldn't get on. It's just I was going in my twilight years and she was just becoming a woman. 

"It was fun while it lasted and it was great. We enjoyed a lot of things about each other, but some of these things they come to an end sometimes," he added. 

'Am I a narcissist?'

Despite his humble beginnings, Sandilands is now known for his extroverted, egotistical personality. 

But he says he doesn't know if he truly is a narcissist, despite admitting he's also "surprised not everyone listens to [his] radio show".

"Every argument I've ever had with a girlfriend - they say, 'you're narcissistic'. Am I? I don't know. Maybe I am. I don't even care, really."

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home. 

You can also call safe steps 24/7 Family Violence Response Line on 1800 015 188 or visit www.safesteps.org.au for further information.

This article was originally published on April 7, 2021, and was updated on February 2, 2023.

Feature Image: Getty.