Two Australian radio presenters who duped a nurse at the hospital which treated Prince William’s pregnant wife Catherine will not return “until further notice”, their station said today after the woman was found dead.
“Southern Cross Austereo and 2Day FM are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha from King Edward VII’s Hospital and we extend our deepest sympathies to her family and all that have been affected by this situation around the world,” the station said in a statement on its Facebook page.
It said the presenters, Mel Grieg and Michael Christian, “are both deeply shocked” over news of the nurse’s death.
“SCA and the hosts have decided that they will not return to their radio show until further notice out of respect for what can only be described as a tragedy.”
The presenters had faced growing calls for their dismissal, with hundreds of angry comments posted on 2Day FM Facebook page while an online petition calling for them to be sacked for “gross misconduct” has already attracted more than 1,300 signatures.
Greig and Christian apologised after an uproar in Britain over the hoax but the station milked the publicity as the “biggest royal prank ever”.