2DayFM DJs Michael Christian and Mel Greig have come forward to express their grief over the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, after the network had originally decided to keep the pair from commenting publicly.
Southern Cross Austereo had initially said the presenters would not come forward to speak in public, after a prank call to a London hospital led to a nurse tragically committing suicide, according to reports from the UK.
However, Christian and Greig spoke to both A Current Affair and Today Tonight last night, and expressed their “heartbreak” about the tragedy in two emotional interviews.
Greig, who broke into tears in both interviews, said to Today Tonight: “There is nothing that can make me feel worse than right now, and what I feel for the family [of Saldanha]. We're so sorry this has happened to them.”
Christian said: “We're very sorry for the harm that we may have helped contribute [to].” He also said he was “gutted, shattered, heartbroken”.
Greig said the prank call was intended “as a silly little prank”.
Both presenters said the call had been vetted by the network before it was put to air, and said they had just made the phone call and then placed everything else into the hands of behind-the-scenes staff at Southern Cross Austereo.
The network aired a prank call made by the presenters last week, in which the duo had called the London hospital where the pregnant Kate Middleton was staying, and impersonated the Queen and Prince Charles.
Hospital staff had given the duo information about Middleton.
Following the backlash surrounding the prank call, it was reported in the UK press that Saldanha, the nurse who reportedly transferred the call, had tragically taken her life.
Southern Cross Austereo has shut down the Hot 30 show, taken advertising down from its 2DayFm Sydney station and banned all prank calls from future programs.
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