Royal Hoax Nurse Previously Tried to Commit Suicide in India
The nurse who committed suicide after taking a prank call from two Australian DJs had previously tried to end her life a year before while she was visiting family in India.
Jacintha Saldanha was the the nurse who was found dead just days after taking a prank call from two Australian DJs pretending to be the Queen of England and Prince Charles. She had tried to kill herself last year by overdosing on unspecified pills while she was visiting India, according to Daily Mail.
That attempt was unsuccessful and as a result she spent several days in the intensive care unit. Saldanha then received psychiatric treatment and was prescribed antidepressant medication.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
After the tragic death of Saldanha, her family told media that she was so upset over being at the center of the hoax that she did not tell anyone in her family about the incident before she took her own life.
Saldanha was found by police in her room at the King Edward VII's Hospital in Central London on Dec. 7. Her body was flown to her native India where she was laid to rest, according to ABC News.
The Australian DJs, Mel Greig and Michael Christian from the 2Day FM radio station, were suspended soon after the news of Saldanha's death broke.
The radio station that employed the pair has been at the center of the tragedy after calls for justice rang out in the wake of Saldanha's death. The radio station did suspend the two DJs, but there has been no word if officials would bring charges against them.
"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," the radio station said in a statement posted via its Facebook page.
"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 statement added.
