Jacintha Saldanha, a nurse working at the King Edward VII hospital where
Kate Middleton was treated for acute morning sickness, was found dead
on Friday, December 7. She was the nurse who transferred the hoax call
made by two Australian 2Day FM presenters, Mel Greig and Michael
Christian, to the Duchess' ward.
In the wake of the tragedy, owners of the radio station issued a
statement, "Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) 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."
"Chief Executive Officer Rhys Holleran has spoken with the presenters,
they are both deeply shocked and at this time we have agreed that they
not comment about the circumstances. 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."
A spokesperson for St. James' Palace also offered condolence, "Their
royal highnesses were looked after so wonderfully well at all times by
everybody at King Edward VII Hospital, and their thoughts and prayers
are with Jacintha Saldanha's family, friends and colleagues at this very
sad time."
The rep insisted they never made complaint to the hospital about the
call. "On the contrary," the representative explained, "we offered our
full and heartfelt support to the nurses involved and hospital staff at
all times."
In his statement, the hospital's exec John Lofthouse said, "Jacintha has
worked at the King Edward VII Hospital for more than four years. She
was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her
colleagues. We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a
hoax call to the hospital. The hospital had been supporting her through
this very difficult time."
Jacintha, 46, was found unconscious near the hospital where she was
staying while working in Central London. She's survived by her partner
Ben and her teen children who live in Bristol. "We as a family are
deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Jacintha," the grieving
family said.
The radio DJs, Mel and Michael, have since deleted their Twitter
accounts where they publicly crowed about the prank call just a few days
ago. Meanwhile, 2Day FM's social media which are still active, have
been bombarded with backlashes by online users.
Kate herself has been released from hospital since Thursday after staying for a few days under doctor's care.
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