Video! Royal Pranksters Break Silence on Nurse Suicide
December 10, 2012
Royal News
2DayFM DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian have come forward to talk about the tragic consequences following their royal hoax.
Last week, the DJs called the London hospital where a pregnant Kate Middleton was convalescing from acute morning sickness and posed as the Queen and Prince Charles.
Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother of two, was the nurse who put the call through to Kate's nurse. It is suspected Saldanha committed suicide on Friday, with her body found near King Edward VII Hospital.
Speaking on an Australia Seven Network show, Greig and Christian were visibly shaken by the events.
When Greig described hearing the news of the suicide, she said, "Unfortunately I remember that moment very well because I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened, and I remember my first question was, 'Was she a mother?'"
Greig then added she was "very sorry and saddened for the family. I can't imagine what they'd be going through."
Christian explained he is "gutted", "shattered", and "heartbroken." He said, "We're still trying to get our heads around everything. Trying to make sense of the situation."
The DJs have been taken off air and advertisers have reportedly suspended their accounts with the broadcaster. They may also be questioned by Scotland Yard.
Chairman of the hospital Lord Simon Glenarthur called the hoax "appalling" in a letter to Austereo, and urged the company to ensure such calls never happen again.
Last week, the DJs called the London hospital where a pregnant Kate Middleton was convalescing from acute morning sickness and posed as the Queen and Prince Charles.
Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother of two, was the nurse who put the call through to Kate's nurse. It is suspected Saldanha committed suicide on Friday, with her body found near King Edward VII Hospital.
Speaking on an Australia Seven Network show, Greig and Christian were visibly shaken by the events.
When Greig described hearing the news of the suicide, she said, "Unfortunately I remember that moment very well because I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened, and I remember my first question was, 'Was she a mother?'"
Greig then added she was "very sorry and saddened for the family. I can't imagine what they'd be going through."
Christian explained he is "gutted", "shattered", and "heartbroken." He said, "We're still trying to get our heads around everything. Trying to make sense of the situation."
The DJs have been taken off air and advertisers have reportedly suspended their accounts with the broadcaster. They may also be questioned by Scotland Yard.
Chairman of the hospital Lord Simon Glenarthur called the hoax "appalling" in a letter to Austereo, and urged the company to ensure such calls never happen again.
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Thing is the nurse is from a third world country, India. She would have great pride in having gained her professional qualification, and probably was supporting relatives back in India. She probably felt she had let herself down by not blocking the prank call. I believe her culture and feeling the need to please played a part in it. However, it is against the law to tape a telephone conversation without consent, let alone broadcast it on air.
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I think the pranksters should be held accountable. The poor nurse may have killed herself because of future HIPPA violations, the thought of loosing her job.
this nurse thing geting ridiculous obviously the nurse was mentally unstable, millions of people world wide are joked every day and dont kill themselfs, we even have T.V.shows that joke , prank and punk people , they dont commit suicide, this nurse obviously had mental health issues, people lost there jobs cuz of economy, lost there houses and family members due to disasters and dont kill themselfs
people are nuts if they think d.j.s should be prosecuted, millions of people are joked, pranked or punked every single day. they dont kill themselfs. the nurse was obviously mentally unstable and had pschological issues. people lost there jobs due to economy, lost there houses and loved ones due to natural disasters, they not kill themselfs, ime sorry for the nurse but lets get real , nobody forced her to do something stupid like suicide over a joke. we have t.v. shows that prank people and we all laugh , so if the nurse couldent handle the joke thats her problem , again mentally insecure and had mentall issues
My previous posts are directed at "Mario" and that women with the smug expression standing next to him.
And your keeping it up, which is an even more interesting social phenomenon, right? How ironic and scary is it that you are now badgering the DJs and you are publicly humiliating them. So if they kill themselves because you bullied them, will you wonder about their lives or will you take the responsibility for harming them that you deserve? Your so called talent and staff appear to lack insight and you fail to take social responsibility for your actions. Stop badgering and bullying people using media and the internet. social responsibility...ever heard of it?
I don't usually watch your show. The tv was on in the background. Saw the bit about the suicide of the women who was tricked by the DJ's. Does it occur to you and your staff that the women probably killed herself because of the media blitzes like the ones on your show. Regardless of "what was happening in her life" that you don't know, you do know that you contributed to her angst and distress with your solicitous coverage of her. People are not jokes. Every time you present detail of people's private life and their distress (divorce, illnesses) that they would like to keep private, you are risking their health and you share culpability if someone were to take their life.Stop bullying on cyberspace and TV. I am sure the women would still be alive (even after being tricked) had the media like you left her alone. Humiliation is very harmful.
Those 2 DJ's should be sorry, very sorry, theirs a line they crossed, when they realized they were believed by the hospital, at that point, they had a decision, continue with the "prank" or "hang up", had they hung up their phone (remember this call was being aired) a very important breach in hospital policy would have been realized and taken care of, but NO, they choose to continue with this prank, spoke to Kate's nurse and obtained information they had no right to obtain. Whether directly or indirectly these 2 DJ's are responsible for an innocent nurses death. Remember this was a Nurse answering the phone, not a receptionist, a receptionist knows how to handle all types of phone calls and knows how to "weed out a prank", hospitals receive hundreds of phone calls 24/7, this wonderful nurse should not have been on "receptionist duty" to begin with, she's a direct care giver. I hope and pray these 2 heartless, cruel people are never on any airway again, I only wish charges will be brought against them.