Husband of late Jacintha Saldanha, Benedict Barboza, center, reacts as he and his son Junal, 16, left and daughter Lisha, 14, speak to the media outside the Westminster Cathedral in London, Saturday.(Photo: Sang Tan, AP)
LONDON -- A service was held in London on Saturday to mourn the
death of a nurse found hanging in her room three days after she had been
duped by a hoax call from Australian DJs about the pregnant Duchess of
Cambridge.
The death of Jacintha Saldanha, 46, on Dec. 7 is being investigated as an apparent suicide.
Saldanha's
family gave an emotional tribute outside of London's Westminster
Cathedral on Saturday following a memorial Mass mourning the loss of the
mother of two.
Her husband Benedict, flanked by his two children,
called Jacintha "the light of my darkness," saying through tears that
"nobody can take that place in my life ever again."
"I feel a part
of me has been ripped out," he said. "Without your beautiful smile and
sparkling personality, the house is an empty place to live."
Saldanha's
son Junal spoke of the encouragement he had received from his mother,
whose priority for her children was a good education. "You were the
core of the family who kept us together," he said. "You worked
tirelessly to give us everything that we have today."
Saldanha
answered the phone at London's King Edward VII Hospital when the DJs
called seeking information about the Duchess of Cambridge, the former
Kate Middleton, who was being treated for severe morning sickness.
The
DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, and Saldanha
was tricked into transferring the call to another nurse, who revealed
private details about the duchess' condition.
Saldanha's daughter Lisha said she will miss her mother's laughter, saying the family is "shattered."
Her
father, Benedict, expressed thanks for an outpouring of support
following the death of Saldanha - singling out the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge for their kind words upon the loss of his wife.
The DJs,
2DayFM's Mel Greig and Michael Christian, apologized for the prank in
emotional interviews on Australian TV, saying they never expected their
call would be put through. The show was taken off the air and the DJs
have been suspended.
USA Today