A former Australian radio host who took part in the 2012 royal prank call that ended in tragedy has revealed she's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The hosts of the 2Day FM show, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, were responsible for the prank call which, 11 years on, Greig also admits contributed to her poor mental health.
Both hosts decided to prank call the London hospital where Kate Middleton was a patient after she had announced her first pregnancy.
The pair impersonated the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, claiming they wanted to check in and see how their granddaughter-in-law was doing.
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha picked up the call and transferred Greig and Christian over to the then-Duchess of Cambridge's nurse.
The nurse then spoke with the pair for a few minutes, describing details of Kate's condition and how she was doing at the time. The entire conversation was played out on-air on December 5.
Two days later, Saldanha was found dead.
Speaking with 9honey, Greig revealed she thought everybody was trying to kill her.
"For three weeks I was so paranoid, I was hallucinating. I'd wake up and see people standing at the end of my bed," she said. "I suppressed it and suppressed it, and then I had an absolute mental breakdown."
"I ended up in a mental health recovery house for a week, and I was diagnosed with delayed PTSD."
She revealed she was deeply shaken by Saldanha's death, adding she thinks of her regularly.
Greig told 9honey several people labelled her as a murderer, with some people refusing to work with her.
"To be painted as this murderer, this awful person, it's been really hard. I still get messages like, 'Have you washed the blood off your hands? You're a murderer,'" she said.
Greig admitted staying silent through hate hadn't helped her mental health.
"I made a vow about four months ago, when I was diagnosed with PTSD, to get through it and help other people."
Where to find help and support:
- Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
- What's Up - 0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787)
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- Shakti Community Council - 0800 742 584
