Australian DJs 'Shattered' Over Nurse's Death
Australian DJs Michael Christian, 25, and Mel Greig, 30, the two DJS who made a hoax call during the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy, are speaking out for the first time after the tragic death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who initially accepted their prank call.
"Shattered, gutted, heartbroken and obviously, you know, our deepest sympathies are with the family and the friends of all those affected and you know, obviously, Mel and myself are incredibly sorry for this situation, and what's happened and we hope that they're doing OK and they've getting the love and support that they deserve and they need right now. But I mean personally, I'm gutted," Christian told Tracy Grimshaw in an interview on Australia's A Current Affair.
Related: Nurse Who Took Hoax Call At Kate's Hospital Dies
Both reiterated that they never expected their prank phone call to actually get through at King Edward VII Hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was staying.
"I still expected them to put us through to some kind of complaints area that she would've realized from that point and that we would be going to be transferred and be told off and hung up on. Didn't expect to get through to anyone at any stage," Christian explained. "The joke 100 percent was on us. The idea was never, 'Let's call up and get through to Kate,' or 'Let's speak to a nurse.' The joke was our accents are horrible, they don't sound anything like who they're intended to be."
Saldanha answered the phone last week when Greig and Christian, impersonating Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, called the hospital where the former Kate Middleton was being treated for acute morning sickness. They were then put through to Kate's ward, where another nurse gave personal details about the Duchess' severe morning sickens.
Related: Prince Charles 'Thrilled' About Kate's Pregnancy
Saldanha, a mother of two, was found unconscious Friday morning and could not be revived by emergency personnel.
In their interview with Australia's Today Tonight, Greig apologized to Saldanha's family.
"The first thing I asked was: 'Was she a mother?'" an emotional Greig said. "If we played any involvement in her death then we're very sorry for that. We couldn't foresee what was going to happen in the future."
Greig and Christian's show, Hot 30, has been terminated, the station's parent company, Southern Cross Austereo, said in a statement Monday. SCA also announced a company-wide suspension of prank calls.
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