He was fresh off the boat when he wooed a young Jackie O in a pub. Now, after walking away with millions in their divorce, Lee Henderson's life is getting even better...

They say Australia is the lucky country - and for one former British backpacker, truer words have never been spoken.

Pictured emerging shirtless from his beachside Sydney home last week, Lee Henderson looks like your typical cashed-up eastern suburbs DILF. But dig beneath the surface of his charmed life and you'll find a man who truly defines the Aussie dream.

Lee is a photographer. But you probably know him best as the ex-husband of Jackie 'O' Henderson, the highest-paid woman in radio. They split in October 2018 after 15 years of marriage, and finalised their divorce in 2021. They share a daughter, 13-year-old Kitty.

To say Lee hit the jackpot when he wooed a young Jackie in a Sydney pub more than two decades ago would be an understatement.

Still years away from reaching the peak of her broadcasting success, and fresh from the breakdown of her first marriage to shock jock 'Ugly Phil' O'Neil, Jackie didn't seem to mind that Lee was an English tourist without much going for him.

It was March 2000 when their eyes locked across the dancefloor at Blue Room.

Jackie, then 25 and out with a girlfriend, would later muse in her diary that Lee, who was a year younger than her, took his time coming over - 'about an hour' - but being a 'slow mover' was enigmatic in a way.

The fact the 'prim and proper' Brit reminded her 'of a hot Hugh Grant' didn't hurt either.

Before she left, he asked for her number, which she punched into his Nokia. He called a few days later. Jackie wrote in her diary at the time - and would recount on air years later - that she wasn't sure about him at first, but there was immediate physical attraction.

'Lee’s really hot, but I just don’t know about us being together. I don’t know if I see it or not,' she wrote.

It turns out they would have a future together. It wouldn't last a lifetime, but they would make it almost 20 years and become parents of a daughter, conceived via IVF in 2010. 

In the years that followed, Jackie would pair up with another important man in her life - her on-air partner Kyle Sandilands - and together they would become Sydney's most popular breakfast radio team. In 2019, they signed the most lucrative deal in the history of Australian media. They inked another staggering contract, worth $200million, in late 2023.

Lee played the role of devoted, quiet husband as his wife's professional life soared, and also supported her during the controversies that punctuated her career.

When, in 2018, Jackie announced on air she and Lee were separating, few saw it coming.

'After 18 years together, we have made the decision to separate. We do so amicably, sharing many incredible memories and remaining best friends,' she said.

'Our focus for this next chapter is of course our wonderful daughter and continuing to provide her love and happiness, together.' 

While things often go downhill for men after divorce, Lee's life today couldn't be better.

The mild-mannered Englishman walked away with millions following their split. It was money Jackie was happy to part with, given how much more she earned than Lee and the fact their daughter, Kitty, would be staying with him half the time.

Today, Lee seems to be living a dream life. Physically, he has never looked better. As our latest shirtless photos reveal, he has a toned, athletic physique. He has also coupled up with a stunning Brazilian he met at the gym.

He used to look rather dorky compared to his famous wife when they were pictured together at events, but now Lee is the embodiment of the eastern suburbs 'Peter Pan' - a man in his late 40s who seems to defy the ageing process.

As for his new relationship, Lee hasn't said much, but we know he's dating Gabriella Motta, a tattooed jujitsu instructor with whom he shares a passion for martial arts.

They were first spotted together in 2019, a year after he separated from Jackie. They are believed to be living together in Sydney's east and, sources say, Lee continues to work out at the same gym where Gabriella is a trainer.

The low-profile relationship marks a significant shift for Lee, whose marriage to Jackie wasn't just high-profile but apparently fraught behind the scenes for years.

In her newly published memoir The Whole Truth, Jackie admitted that it was clear their relationship was heading down the wrong path long before they called it quits.

She struggled for years with fluctuating weight and remarks her health-conscious husband would make about her size in 'vulnerable' moments have stuck with her to this day.

'I remember getting changed in the walk-in wardrobe, standing there naked and vulnerable, and Lee walked past and I caught him looking at me in the mirror with an expression of disdain or disgust. I'll never forget that look. Sometimes he would wrap an arm around me and grab a spare tyre. "Look at that!" he'd say as a joke, but I wondered if it really was.'

It got to the point where Lee suggested she undergo a full-body scan 'because he thought I was obese'.

'I went and got one... and I wasn't obese,' she continued. 'I was overweight, though. Probably just eating my feelings, and my palette wasn't discerning.'

During their marriage, Jackie accumulated significant wealth thanks to her radio and TV career. Years after splitting from Lee, she admitted on air it was no secret she wasn't getting any money from her ex in the settlement because she was the richer of the two.

'I had to share my wealth. And he said, "Yes, I'll take it!"' she said in 2021. But she hastened to add there was no bitterness because he was the father of her daughter.

'I have to say, when you have kids, it's totally different,' she said.

Jackie was reportedly $10million out of pocket in the divorce, with Lee being transferred the $6.7million marital home. But compared to her net worth, it was a drop in the ocean.

A source told to New Idea in 2018: 'Jac is and has always been the breadwinner... so there is no doubt Lee will struggle without her.

'When she fell pregnant with Kitty, the plan was always to go back to work and make the money and Lee would stay at home and look after Kitty, even though they could have easily afforded a nanny.' 

The former couple owned a lavish home in Vaucluse, which they bought in 2012. Jackie moved out not long after their divorce, and allowed her ex to keep it.

'It's definitely easier for everyone for him to keep [the house] and Kitty will be more settled this way,' an insider said at the time.

'She's got the money to easily buy somewhere new and it isn't really a problem.'

Fast forward to 2024, and Jackie - who is locked into a 10-year, $200million radio contract - certainly has the money to buy wherever she'd like.