Radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands is demanding to be reinstated after a sensational blow-up with his co-host led to the axing of the Kyle and Jackie O Show.

Sandilands released a statement to News Corp on Tuesday, speaking publicly for the first time, and describing “Jackie O” Henderson as one of the “most important people” in his life.

The pair were in the second year of a 10-year, $200 million contract when KIIS FM’s parent company ARN announced that Henderson had quit because she “cannot continue to work” with Sandilands.

Sandilands was issued with a breach notice for “serious misconduct”.

On Tuesday, Sandilands said he wished he had phrased things differently during his on-air argument with Henderson on February 20.

“That same evening, I sent Jackie a message telling her I was sorry for anything I said that didn’t go down well, that I love her and care for her, and that I could have handled it better. I meant every word of that, and I still do,” he said.

“The idea that our partnership could end like this is devastating to me.”

Sandilands claimed that ARN told him he was not allowed to contact Henderson or speak to his colleagues.

“I did what was asked, even though it made it impossible for me to do the one thing anyone in my position would want to do — pick up the phone and talk to the person I have been talking with continually for my entire career,” he said.

Sandilands also claimed that ARN terminated Henderson’s contract on the same day he was told he had been suspended for two weeks.

“The truth is that ARN terminated Jackie’s contract on the same day it accused me of a breach. It suspended me from work,” he said.

“All of this happened while I was being told to sit quietly and say nothing. That is not a genuine process.”

Sandilands told News Corp he had always been able to work through his differences with Henderson.

“That is what partners do. We never needed lawyers or ASX announcements to sort things out. I believe we could have sorted this out, too, if ARN had given us the chance. I have a contract with ARN that runs until 2034,” he said.

Sandilands said he was still committed to that contract.

“Despite what ARN says, I am not in breach of that contract. I want to be on air. I want to be with my audience. I want to do the job I have done my entire adult life,” he said.

He ended his statement by calling on ARN to reinstate him.

“I am asking ARN to do the right thing: honour our agreement and let me get back to doing what I do best — entertaining the people who have supported this show for more than two decades,” he said.

Sandilands berated Henderson on air last month and made her cry when he criticised her after she looked into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s horoscope, saying her interest in astrology was affecting her job.

“Your fixation on this has made you almost unworkable,” he said on air, adding that she was “off with the fairies”.

“You’ve had your head looking into the stars; it is too much, and it is affecting everything else. Every segment and every time you’ve spoken, you don’t know what is going on,” he said.

Henderson said she was “totally offended” by his comments and would never attack him on air like that.

Henderson did not return to work for more than a week before ARN released a statement to the ASX about the end of their show.

ARN’s statement said it had given written notice to Sandilands that his behaviour during the episode was “an act of serious misconduct, which is in breach”.

“Mr Sandilands has been given 14 days to remedy this breach,” it said.

“The KIIS breakfast show will be taken off-air effective immediately, with interim arrangements made for the show.”