Australian DJs in hiding after royal hoax call prepare for first public statement after the 'humiliated' nurse they tricked is found dead

Bosses at radio station insist presenters have 'expressed a desire to speak'

Ex-model Mel Greig gets 'intense counselling' amid fears she may self-harm

Greig's father: 'I'm very concerned for her. I'm not sure where this is going'

She and colleague Michael Christian will have to speak to local detectives

Hospital chairman writes to owners and slams their 'truly appalling' prank

Owners reply to hospital and say death was 'unforeseeable and regrettable'



Southern Cross Austereo: 'Immediate action to be taken over tragic event'

Under-fire bosses at 2Day FM radio station in Sydney plead for sympathy

Royal College of Nursing chief executive: 'Death was an avoidable tragedy'

Boris Johnson: 'Hoaxers will be absolutely full of self-loathing and remorse'



Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found dead on Friday in nurses’ accommodation



The two Australian DJs responsible for the hoax call to a hospital treating the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge were today in hiding - but have told bosses they want to 'express their remorse publicly'.



Friends say ex-model Mel Greig is ‘close to a breakdown’ and undergoing 'intensive psychological counselling' along with colleague Michael Christian - and both are being 'wrapped in cotton wool'.



Today their bosses at Southern Cross Austereo said the tragedy of a nurse who took the call being found dead was 'unforeseeable and very regrettable', insisting 'immediate action' was being taken.

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Low: Friends say ex-model Mel Greig, right, is ‘close to a breakdown’ and is receiving counselling along with colleague Michael Christian, left, as they faced a storm of international criticism

The duo will provide statements to local detectives after a request from the Met to their New South Wales counterparts - and the company said they have ' expressed a desire to speak' to the media. A Southern Cross Austereo spokesman added today: 'We haven't ascertained when they're ready for that (to speak to the media) and how we're going to organise that, but they certainly want to. 'They are still being wrapped in cotton wool at the moment and we are very mindful of their situation.'

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Next Radio station behind prank Kate hospital call pulls ALL... 'I miss you, I love you': Teenage daughter of tragic nurse... Share this article Share The duped nurse Jacintha Saldanha, 46, a mother of two, was found dead on Friday in staff accommodation at the hospital where Kate, 30, had been treated for acute morning sickness.

While it is not thought the presenters broke any laws, they are expected to be interviewed by officers. Scotland Yard is preparing a report for Mrs Saldanha’s inquest and requires statements from them.

Pose: DJ Mel Greig lies across the laps of One Direction when they flew into Australia this year. A close friend of Miss Greig said people close to her fear for her mental state

New South Wales Police deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas , confirmed the request, saying: 'It hasn't been indicated to us that an offence has occurred and they have not actually asked for anything yet.

'They've simply touched base, let us know of their interest and they will get back to us if they actually want something done,' he told Sky. 'Nothing has been requested of us yet.'

Bosses at Sydney radio station 2Day FM pleaded for sympathy for the breakfast show co-hosts as they faced a boycott by advertisers not wishing to be associated with their brand of ‘humour’.



Sandy Kaye, a PR for the radio station, said: ‘We are very concerned for the well-being of our talent. They are very, very distressed. Mel is very vulnerable. She has been vulnerable in the past.

Social network: This image shows the Facebook page of 2day FM

Criticism: Some of the abusive comments the radio station has received on Facebook are pictured above 'EXTREMELY FOOLISH': LETTER FROM HOSPITAL TO RADIO STATION The letter from King Edward VII Hospital chairman Lord Glenarthur to Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of 2day FM's parent company Southern Cross Austereo: 'I am writing to protest in the strongest possible terms about the hoax call made from your radio station, 2Day FM, to this hospital last Tuesday. 'King Edward VII's Hospital cares for sick people, and it was extremely foolish of your presenters even to consider trying to lie their way through to one of our patients, let alone actually make the call. 'Then to discover that, not only had this happened, but that the call had been pre-recorded and the decision to transmit approved by your station's management, was truly appalling. 'The immediate consequence of these premeditated and ill-considered actions was the humiliation of two dedicated and caring nurses who were simply doing their job tending to their patients. The longer term consequence has been reported around the world and is, frankly, tragic beyond words. 'I appreciate that you cannot undo the damage which has been done but I would urge you to take steps to ensure that such an incident could never be repeated.' 'UNFORESEEABLE TRAGEDY': FIRM REPLIES BUT DOESN'T SAY SORRY

Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of Southern Cross Austereo, last night gave an assurance that 'immediate action' was being taken over the hospital prank call and a review was being done of the broadcast and processes involved. In response to the withering letter from Lord Glenarther to the owners of the Sydney radio station, Mr Moore-Wilton said in a written letter which was sent by email yesterday that all at the company were saddened by the events of the last few days, saying they 'are truly tragic.' His letter continued: 'It is too early to know the full details leading to this tragic event and we are anxious to review the results of an investigation that may be made available to us or made public. 'We can assure you that we will be fully cooperative with all investigations. As we have said in our own statements on the matter, the outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable. 'I can assure you we are taking immediate action and reviewing the broadcast and processes involved. Our Company joins with you, all at King Edward VII's Hospital and Mrs Saldanha's family and friends in mourning their tragic loss.' Richard Shears 'So we are very concerned about her. She is in a very fragile state and we are concerned for her. We are giving them professional care. They are receiving counselling.’ Last night the chairman of the King Edward VII Hospital in Marylebone, London, wrote to the owners of the radio station, 2Day FM, condemning the ‘humiliation of two dedicated and caring nurses’. Lord Glenarthur called the radio station's decision to broadcast the prank ‘truly appalling’ and said the consequence of the presenters’ actions was ‘tragic beyond words’. 'I appreciate that you cannot undo the damage which has been done but I would urge you to take steps to ensure that such an incident could never be repeated' Lord Glenarthur, King Edward VII Hospital chief executive, to radio station

He wrote: 'I appreciate that you cannot undo the damage which has been done but I would urge you to take steps to ensure that such an incident could never be repeated.'

Southern Cross Austereo, 2Day FM's parent company, is holding an emergency board meeting to consider what action it should take over the prank phone call, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Chairman Max Moore-Wilton added: 'The chief executive officer (Rhys Holleran) is responsible for the operations of the organisation within the framework that the board broadly sets.' Miss Greig’s father Sydney said at his home in South Australia: ‘I don’t know where she is. I can’t say anything. I am very concerned for her. I am not sure where this is going. I have spoken to her but I have been told not to say any more.’

Backlash: 2DayFM DJs Mel Greig, left, and Michael Christian, right, have been bombarded with abuse online since Jacintha Saldanha's death at King Edward VII hospital's lodgings was announced

Tragic: The grieving family of nurse Jacintha Saldanha who died in a suspected suicide have told of their devastation at her death. She is pictured centre, with son Junal and daughter Lisha A 2Day FM source said the two DJs were being looked after in the devastating wake of their show and were now both in ‘lockdown’. Loss: Husband Benedict Barboza, a 49-year-old hospital accountant, also known as Ben, posted a tribute to Mrs Saldanha on his Facebook page A close friend of Miss Greig said: ‘Everyone who knows Mel fears for her mental state. Yes, there are very real fears that she could self-harm and nobody wants that. 'Of course, she is blaming herself for what has happened. What was done in fun has turned out to be a horrible tragedy. She is close to a breakdown.’

The station could face action over the fateful call as under Australian law it is illegal to record someone or publish a taped conversation without the person’s permission. Her husband, Ben Barboza, 49, an NHS accountant, said: ‘I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances.’ And in a poignant message on Facebook, the couple’s 14-year-old daughter Lisha said of her mother: ‘I miss you, I loveeee you.’ Mrs Saldanha’s sister-in-law Celin D’Souza added: ‘I will really miss her a lot. She was good-natured. I cannot forget her, she was so good.’

Yesterday the dead nurse’s family were being comforted by relatives and friends at their terrace home in Southmead, Bristol.

A friend who answered the door said Mr Barboza, Lisha and the couple’s 16-year-old son Junal were ‘very, very shocked and unhappy’.

Mrs Saldanha, from Valencia in south-west India, married Mr Barboza, from the nearby village of Shirva, in 1993.

They moved to Bristol nine years ago. When she was working in London she lived in nurse’s quarters behind the hospital, returning to the family home on her days off. Anxious: Although she wasn’t blamed for what happened, friends said Mrs Saldanha ‘took it very badly' Family grief: Jacintha Saldanha's Indian family, pictured, was informed about her death last night when her partner Benedict called in tears Mr Barboza’s mother Carmine, 69, said the family returned to India to visit her every two years. She said neither her son nor daughter-in-law had told her about the hoax call. ‘Everything seemed normal,’ she said. ‘But then we got a call last night from Benedict informing us that Jacintha had died. He was crying and couldn’t speak much. In shock: Mrs Saldanha's Indian family spoke about their heartache today. Mother-in-law Carmine Barboza, 69, said: 'We just cannot believe it' ‘We don’t know whether we’ll be able to bring her body back to India but we desperately hope so. ‘We spoke to Benedict again this morning and he said he hasn’t been allowed to see her body yet because of legal formalities and she’ll not be handed over before Monday.

‘Jacintha was a very caring woman. We just cannot believe what has happened.’ Dr Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One this morning that the nurse's death was an 'avoidable tragedy'. He said: 'We don't know the full circumstances and I don't wish to speculate. But as others have said, this is the fallout from these hoaxes and we've seen them in the past. 'It's rarely that it's had such a dramatic effect as on this occasion. Right now our thoughts are with Jacintha's husband and her two children. It's a tragedy that was avoidable.' London Mayor Boris Johnson described the incident as 'an appallingly sad story'. He told Sky News's Murnaghan programme: 'It is very hard to say anything meaningful about it except to offer people's sympathies to the family of the poor, poor nurse who was caught up in it. 'I am sure that the hoaxers will be absolutely full of self-loathing and remorse. But their future careers in broadcasting is a matter for them and their station.'



VIDEO: London and Australian Police in touch over nurse's death