'I understand': Mel Greig breaks silence on former radio co-host Michael Christian's decision to sue Southern Cross Austereo over Royal prank fallout

Sky News AU

21 hours ago

Radio host Mel Greig has spoken out on her former co-host Michael Christian's decision to sue their employer at the time over claims he was abandoned in the aftermath of a prank call that triggered international headlines and a tragic loss of life.
Greig and Christian were co-hosts on Sydney's 2Day FM when, on December 4, 2012, they made a prank call to London's King Edward VII Hospital, where Princess Catherine, then pregnant with Prince George, was being treated for severe morning sickness.
The pre-recorded call involved the pair impersonating King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II using exaggerated British accents.
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha, believing the call to be genuine, transferred them to another nurse who disclosed private medical information.
Days later, Ms Saldanha took her own life, sparking a wave of public outrage and intense media scrutiny.
Christian has now launched legal action in the Federal Court, alleging former employers Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) failed to support him or provide a safe workplace.
His lawyers argue both he and Greig were left to face "relentless public vitriol, harassment and abuse" following the incident.
Breaking her silence on the lawsuit, Greig issued a statement via Instagram Stories.
"I understand why Michael is choosing to go down this path," she wrote on Tuesday.
"Whilst there are various reasons we may never be able to speak our entire truth on all that occurred, I do hope that the continued attention on this tragic incident results in substantial reforms in the way media produce content and support their staff, so that something like this never happens again.
"My thoughts and support as always are with the Saldanha family."
Greig also shared a screenshot of Lewis Capaldi's song 'Survive', adding: "This @lewiscapaldi it's always worth the fight".
Two hours later, she posted again to thank friends and followers for their support.
"Today has absolutely knocked me around," she said.
"For those who think that this was a two-day media story. No. 12 years later here we are."
Following the tragic incident, Greig struggled to re-enter the radio industry and now works in public relations and as a columnist for Yahoo and Mamma Mia.
In 2013, she sued SCA for failing to provide a safe workplace.
As part of the settlement, the broadcaster publicly stated she was not responsible for the decision to air the hoax call and had in fact advised against broadcasting it in its original form.
In 2023, Greig revealed she continues to live with the psychological aftermath of the event.
"I thought everybody was trying to kill me. 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 told 9Honey.
"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.
"Back then, I didn't care if people did want to kill me, because I felt I deserved it. But now that I want to live, I'm reliving that trauma in a different way."
Meanwhile, Christian, who had joined 2Day FM just two days before the prank, remained with the network for several years before being made redundant.
He has since filed suit in the Federal Court.
Court documents allege SCA failed to take "immediate public accountability" for the prank and instead "allowed Mr Christian and Ms Greig to be left exposed to relentless public vitriol, harassment and abuse, including death threats".
"The radio presenters were left by SCA as the convenient fall guys and scapegoats for SCA management decisions and non-compliance," the documents state.
Mr Christian's legal team claims he delayed taking action because SCA had assured him it would help restore his reputation- a promise he says was never fulfilled.
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