2Day FM DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian have spoken for the first time about the prank call that was supposed to be simple and harmless, but ended in tragedy and controversy.
In an emotional interview, the pair told A Current Affair the idea of the prank phone call involving London nurse Jacintha Saldhana, who has since been suspected to have committed suicide, was an innocent idea made in consultation with the radio show’s production team.
The young DJs said their impersonation of the Queen and conversation with the nurse attending the Duchess of Cambridge was meant to be simple and harmless.
“We thought a hundred people before us would’ve tried it, we thought it was such a silly idea and the accents were terrible and not for a second did we expect to speak to Kate let alone have a conversation with anyone at the hospital,” Greig said.
“We wanted to be hung up on.”
The pair both broke down in tears at points during the interview, which will air tonight.
On their reaction to the news of Mrs Saldanha’s death, a moment Greig describes as “the worst phone call I’ve ever had in my life”, they revealed their concern for the nurse’s family.
“There’s not a minute that goes by where we don’t think about her family and what they must be going through,” she said.
“These prank calls are made every day, on every radio station, in every country around the world and they have been for a long time and no-one could’ve imagined this to happen.”
Interviewer Tracy Grimshaw acknowledged there may be criticism over the interview, but urged viewers understand what the pair was going through.
“It’s an essential tenet of fair journalism to give them the right of reply,” she said.
“These are not your average old war horses who have been through anything like this before. They are at the start of their careers and have not been exposed to anything like this before… where the world’s media comes crashing down on them.”
