Kyle Sandilands has revealed that he and Jackie “O” Henderson have been secretly texting each other throughout their bitter legal war — despite knowing their lawyers would strongly disapprove.

The radio king has lifted the lid on the private messages exchanged with his former breakfast partner, insisting the affection between them has never disappeared despite the spectacular collapse of their near 30-year partnership.

Sandilands said the pair had quietly kept in touch behind the scenes while Henderson pursues an $80 million legal battle against ARN.

“Well, we both text each other, but we aren’t supposed to text,” he told The Sunday Telepgraph.

Sandilands said that they made a pact to keep the messages between themselves.

“I wasn’t going to tell my lawyer and she said, ‘I’m not telling my lawyer either’,” he said.

Rather than discussing the explosive court fight, Sandilands said that the conversations were simply about checking in on each other and their families.

“It was, ‘How’s Otto? How’s Tegan?’ That sort of communication,” he said. “So both sides of us are caring for each other.”

The revelation comes five months after an on-air clash over astrology brought Australia’s biggest radio partnership crashing down.

Henderson later alleged that she had been bullied, quit working alongside Sandilands and launched legal action against ARN.

Sandilands has consistently maintained that he was blindsided by Henderson’s reaction.

Despite the legal stoush, Sandilands revealed that Henderson had recently reached out after thinking of him on his birthday.

She texted to say that she had imagined he would be dining at Mimi’s in Coogee in Sydney.

Sandilands replied that he had actually been scanning the restaurant hoping that she would be there.

“She was like, ‘Ha ha, kiss kiss’,” he said.

The 55-year-old admitted that his relationship with Henderson still leaves him confused but insisted he holds no anger towards her.

“I don’t think I do miss her,” he said. “What it feels like is a death.”

Sandilands also revealed that he had apologised to Henderson “dozens of times” since their relationship imploded and said his final message to her made it clear that he still supported her regardless of the court battle.

“The last message I sent to her was, regardless of what happens or what’s been said or what comes out in court ... I just want you to know I’m good with you,” he said.

Sandilands said that he wanted Henderson to know that she would never face the legal fight believing he hated her.

“I’ll always love her, admire her and hopefully one day I’ll figure out what actually happened,” he said.

In another surprising revelation, Sandilands said Hollywood star Russell Crowe repeatedly urged him to repair the fractured friendship in the days after the fallout.

He also disclosed that he had left a permanent empty chair waiting for Henderson in the studio of his new subscription show Kyle Sandilands Live, which launches on August 10.

Her photos still hang on the walls and he refuses to remove them.

“There’s gonna sit there that’s reserved for her, the day she wants to come in,” he said.

“I hope that she comes on and talks to us one day once again.”

While Sandilands has settled his own legal dispute with ARN, Henderson’s lawsuit against the broadcaster is ongoing.