A former Australian DJ at the centre of a 2012 royal prank call scandal said she spent years battling against “suicidal thoughts” after a British nurse died by suicide following her prank call.
Mel Greig and her radio co-host, Michael Christian, had prank-called the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge had been admitted with acute morning sickness during her first pregnancy with Prince George in 2012.
Ms Greig and Mr Christian had impersonated the Queen and Prince Charles during the call, which was subsequently broadcast on their radio show in Australia.
Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse at the hospital, had answered the call; three days later, she was found dead.
Saldanha had left three notes, with one of them blaming the Australian DJs. Ms Greig and Mr Christian were subsequently taken off air after the prank call garnered global attention.
Ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, Ms Greig said she was left feeling deeply traumatised and feeling “unbearable” guilt over the 46-year-old’s death, leading her to harbour “suicidal thoughts”.
She said she was labelled a “murderer” by the international press and struggled to find work. The hoax call left her a “broken woman”, she wrote in a piece for Australia’s Special Broadcasting Service.
“A family lost their wife and mother, and to be accused of playing a role in taking her life was beyond devastating,” she said.
“Online trolls told me to kill myself every day, no one would employ me. Charities wouldn’t even let me stuff envelopes behind the scenes. I was a tarnished and broken woman.”
Greig has in the past spoken about losing friends, job opportunities and the breakdown of her marriage with her then-partner Steve Pollock following the incident.
“It [the prank call] played a huge part in our marriage not being as successful because we were not living a normal life for two years and I was battling major depression, and he made some very big and stupid mistakes for a couple of years during that time. And we were better off moving forward with our own lives without each other,” she had told BBC Radio 5 in 2017.
A London coroner attributed Saldanha’s death to the pressure of the hoax and difficulties with a colleague at the hospital.
In September 2014, London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox found Saldanha’s death was not foreseeable and she was appropriately supported by her workplace following the prank call.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
