Two Australian DJs who made a hoax call about the Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy today came out of hiding to claim they were 'gutted, shattered and heartbroken' after the nurse they tricked was found dead days later.

Mel Greig, 30, and Michael Christian, 25, who work for Sydney radio station 2Day FM, said they were devastated and wanted to apologise to the family of mother-of-two Jacintha Saldanha.

'The first thing I asked was: "Was she a mother?"' an emotional Miss Greig said. 'If we played any involvement in her death then we’re very sorry for that. We couldn’t foresee what was going to happen in the future.'

Their interview came as the radio station's company Austereo said they tried to contact King Edward VII Hospital five times before putting the hoax call on air - although the hospital has now separately said that they 'did not speak to senior management' or their press office.