Radio personality Mel Greig has slammed Married at First Sight Australia‘s Bryce Ruthven for comparing a Valentine’s Day prank to that of the royal prank call tragedy.
ICYMI: On Tuesday, MAFS 2021 contestant Bryce revealed he received a bunch of flowers for Valentine’s Day from a “secret admirer” who he supposedly worked with.
By process of elimination, Bryce and his MAFS wife-turned-fiancée Melissa Rawson realised the flowers were sent as a prank by KIISFM radio hosts Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips.
However, the controversial TV couple failed to see the humour in the prank, with both Bryce and Melissa making lengthy statements on Instagram about the “tacky” stunt.
“Not all jokes are funny,” Bryce penned. He then called on people to recall the royal prank call scandal that shook airwaves in 2012.
“Maybe some radio announcers need a reminder of the Royal prank call and how that resulted for the person on the end of that radio stunt,” he wrote.
*Content warning: the following discusses mental health and suicide and may be distressing to some readers.
At the time, Mel Greig and her co-host Michael Christian made a call to a London hospital pretending to be the Queen and Prince Charles enquiring about the health of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, who was then pregnant with Prince George.
Three days after answering the call from the disguised hosts, nurse Jacintha Saldanha was found dead by suicide.
Now, Mel has criticised MAFS groom Bryce for involving her and the tragic events in his argument against KIISFM’s Valentine’s Day prank.
What Did Mel Greig Say About Bryce Ruthven’s Statement?
Chatting exclusively to So Dramatic!, Mel said Bryce has “completely overreacted” to the prank.
“It’s literally a bunch of flowers,” she said. “He’s completely overreacted. It’s f*cked. He didn’t need to bring me [into] it.”
Mel also noted that Bryce’s behaviour is “not cool”, given the pair were friends after she helped him while MAFS was airing last year.
“He was my friend. I checked in on him with MAFS, made sure he was okay,” she recalled. “Now he drags me into this… It’s just not cool.”
The 39-year-old also claimed that she is now being trolled as a result of Bryce resurfacing the devastating events of the 2012 call.
“The messages are so foul… trolls are just hideous,” she said. “[It] was so bad I had to delete the thread.”
She continued: “I literally went on his radio show [before MAFS] to talk about the prank call and the trolling and he still decides to drag me through it.”
Mel Greig On Melissa Rawson’s Response To The Valentine’s Day Prank
Married at First Sight Australia 2021 bride Melissa posted a video to Instagram in response to the prank on Tuesday.
“I wanted to address this because I’ve just had enough of jokes being made at my expense,” she said. “I know I signed up for it in MAFS, I know I was contracted to it to allow them to exploit and manipulate me was part of the contract, but I didn’t ask for this.”
The 31-year-old added that the prank is even more “tasteless” given she and Bryce are already under stress in raising their premature twins, Levi and Tate.
“This was not a joke to bring ‘a little love’ into our lives. This was intended to create a stir for radio and it was hurtful to me.”
However, Mel believes Melissa and Bryce have blown the situation out of proportion.
“I can understand why Liss is upset, she has a lot going on and it was probably the last thing she needed,” she acknowledged. “Receiving flowers is meant to be a nice gesture and had they changed a few words on the card, it may have been received differently.
“But comparing it to the prank call is quite insensitive for all involved and I’m disappointed that I’ve been put in the firing line of trolls once again.”
If you or anyone you know is struggling and needs support, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14, both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. You can also speak with someone confidentially at Headspace by calling 1800 650 890 or chat online here. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
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