“It’s been terrible”: Bride & Prejudice star speaks publicly about false death claims
Former Bride & Prejudice star Dannii Erskine who was reported to have “died” in a “horrible tragedy” before being found alive has given her first TV interview.
So Dramatic first reported that the reality star had passed away on April 29 after a horrific car crash in North Melbourne.
Erskine, who rose to fame in the “forbidden wedding” series in 2019 alongside her then-finance Denton, spoke to Sunrise hosts Natalie Barr and Kochie about how the claims of her death were made after her Instagram account “was hacked”.
A statement posted to Erskine’s Instagram page at the time appeared to confirm her death.
“Rest in peace Dannii Erskine, 1995-2023,” it read.
“We appreciate and respect wishes we have received as a family,” the caption continued, after describing her death as being the result of an “awful accident”.
“Thank you for your support and respect."
But just days after the post appeared on Erskine’s profile, the reality star issued a statement confirming she was alive, and that she had been in hospital getting an “ankle reconstruction” for injuries sustained in a car accident on September 17 2022.
Erskine told Sunrise she was “shocked” and “disgusted” by what had happened.
“I’ve been under a lot of stress. I was told to essentially switch off from it all and focus on recovery and it’s been extremely hard to do that when this is all been happening,” she told the hosts.
“I’m quite shocked with what’s happened. I’m quite disgusted.
“It just makes me feel sick because, as we all know, people lose their lives every day. It’s just one of those things that really makes you sick to the stomach.”
In a new turn of events, Erskine claimed a “well-known stalker of hers” was behind the bizarre claims, however, she added she couldn’t “confirm any sort of names”.
“Unfortunately, I thought things had passed but clearly they haven’t passed.
“So it is being investigated and hopefully justice will come soon and someone will be charged for this,” she said.
The TV star revealed she had “the same password for over 15 years, so it could be anybody that knows me”.
“Let’s just say that my password wasn’t very difficult to use,” she said.
“I have actually spoken to an IT tech company and they said it’s actually extremely easy to hack into Instagram and social media platforms these days.
“My poor family, they were inundated with absolutely so many phone calls… “ Erskine added.
“At that time they confirmed that it was completely untrue but in saying that still, they shouldn’t have had to go through this.
“This whole experience has been awful, it’s been terrible.”
Image credit: Instagram/Sunrise