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Jackie O was paid less than Kyle Sandilands. So this is what she did.

Last year, Jacqueline Ellen Henderson, better known as Jackie O, went into contract negotiations knowing that she was being paid less than her radio co-host on KIIS FM Kyle Sandilands.

Henderson, 42, and Sandilands, 46, have worked together for 17 years.

They do the same job. They work the same hours. And – together – they host the most popular FM radio show in the country.

On Tuesday, following reports that Lisa Wilkinson had left Channel Nine because the network would not pay her the same as her male co-host, Henderson spoke exclusively to news.com.au about her salary negotiations.

“I’ve been in that situation over the years where you do get frustrated that the women aren’t getting equal pay to men and they’re seen somehow as less worthy,” the radio personality said.

“You get to a point where you’re ready to walk and I think Lisa was obviously at that point as well.

“You need to, first of all, make sure that you’ve got another job to go to and also you’re not always in a position where you have that financial security behind you. Lisa’s probably at a point, as was I, where we could walk away and we’re not going to lose everything,” Henderson said.

When Henderson negotiated her five-year-contract with ARN, she demanded pay parity with Sandilands.

Kyle and Jackie O. Image via Twitter.

And for the first time in 17 years, she got it.

The contract pays her $20 million over that period.

"You need to finally take a stand and it's not easy to do," she told news.com.au. 

Henderson applauded Wilkinson's "tough" decision and said, "... obviously she got to a point where she needed to stand up for herself and say, 'No, that's not acceptable.'"

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