Mel Greig has revealed she now suffers from “delayed PTSD”, 11 years after she was involved in a radio prank which ended in tragedy.
In 2012, the former 2Day FM anchor, 41, and her co-host Michael Christian were named in British nurse Jacintha Saldanha’s suicide note.
Now, more than a decade after they posed as the Queen and Prince Charles to prank the 46-year-old woman, Mel revealed she had suffered a “mental breakdown”.
“I thought everyone wanted to kill me.” For three weeks I was so paranoid that I hallucinated. “I woke up and saw people standing at the end of my bed,” she told 9Honey on Tuesday.
“I repressed it and repressed it, and then I had a complete nervous breakdown. “I ended up in a mental health clinic for a week and was diagnosed with delayed post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Mel Greig, 41, (pictured) has revealed she now suffers from ‘delayed PTSD’, 11 years after she was involved in a radio prank which ended in tragedy
Mel went on to say about her current mental health struggles: “Back then I didn’t care if someone wanted to kill me because I felt like I deserved it.” But now that I want to live, I experience that trauma in a different way and wise again.”
The former radio presenter, who now works as a PR and media manager after failing to find another job in radio, has been very open about her struggle with her mental health since the tragic incident.
Mel and former co-host Michael, who has maintained a career in radio, made headlines in 2012 when they posed as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles during a hospital stay to obtain information about the Duchess of Cambridge.
In 2012, the former 2Day FM anchor and her co-host Michael Christian (left) were named in British nurse Jacintha Saldanha’s suicide note
Days later, Indian-born nurse Jacintha Saldanha, who answered the call, took her own life and named Michael and Mel in her suicide note.
While Michael continued to work for 2Day FM, Mel has since struggled to get back into radio after years of negative headlines, public criticism and deep feelings of guilt and regret.
“I applied for over 100 jobs and got 100 rejections,” she told Mamamia last year about her attempt to make a comeback in the media industry.
Now, over a decade after posing as the Queen and Prince Charles to prank the struggling wife, Mel has revealed she suffered a “mental breakdown,” 9Honey reported on Tuesday
“A charity wouldn’t even risk letting me work behind the scenes stuffing envelopes.” “I just wanted to do good for my soul again and no one gave me that chance,” she added.
But after finally landing a gig on Wave FM 96.5 in the Illawarra in 2015, Mel quit after two years and now works as a PR and media manager.
When asked by SBS Insight presenter Kumi Taguchi if she was afraid for her own safety during the scandal, the shaken radio presenter replied: “I wasn’t afraid for my safety because I thought maybe I deserved it after all, for that , what I have done, to die.”
If you or someone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 46. In an emergency, dial Triple Zero (000).