Explainer: The Reality TV Star Who Was Reported Dead But Is Actually Alive
Buckle up, people. If you’ve been reading headlines and feeling very confused about a Bride & Prejudice star who was reported to have died in a car crash but then rose from the dead, you’re not alone.
We’re also very, very confused, so have decided to break it down for you all in some sort of explainer that may break my brain while writing this. But let’s dive into this journey together, shall we?
Dannii Erskine who appeared on the 2019 season of Bride & Prejudice was reported to have died in April, after her sister Dee confirmed to So Dramatic! that Dannii passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident.
As reported by So Dramatic! people were first made aware of Dannii’s death when a post was shared on her Instagram Story. The post featured a photo of Dannii, reading ‘Rest In Peace, Danni Erskine. 1995-2023.’
The post was then shared to Dannii’s Instagram grid, alongside a caption that read, “28/04 took Dannii’s life to a speeding driver – an awful accident. We appreciate and respect wishes we have received as a family.”
Source: So Dramatic!
What was said about Dannii Erskine’s death?
Dee Erskine, Dannii’s sister, allegedly confirmed her death on 30 April, sending an email to So Dramatic! She went into detail about Dannii’s “death” saying that Dannii passed away at 12:01am on the morning of the 29 April after an intoxicated driver T-boned her at an intersection.
Dee then said Dannii was pronounced braindead at 12:01am, with life support machines being turned off at 5:45am.
“She was alive and taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital,” Dee allegedly said, elaborating that her “skull was crushed upon impact with the airbag” with “injuries beyond repair”.
But this wasn’t the first time Dannii Erskine was alleged to have died…
With the news creating headlines across Australia but no record of the actual crash or Dannii’s death to be found, sources started to come forward saying this isn’t the first time Dannii had… apparently died.
A source told So Dramatic! that Dannii had faked her death in 2022.
“I don’t believe this to be true. Dannii faked her death to multiple people via social media in May last year. I believe she has done the same thing again.”
And the plot, it thickens.
A fellow Bride & Prejudice star, Jojo Ellias, shared that her parents were badly injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver in late April, and the details sounded suspiciously close to the account of what happened to Dannii.
Jojo did clarify that while the similarities were bizarre, she highly doubted Dannii would be aware of the circumstances surrounding her parents’ accident.
“TBH when we first read Dannii had been in an accident and was T Boned by a drunk driver, we thought ‘WTAF’,” Jojo wrote on a So Dramatic! post.
“But in all honesty we haven’t spoken to Dannii in 18 months nor had we mentioned anything on our socials till a few days ago.”
A follow-up comment from Jojo stated that this isn’t the first time she and her partner Jess have received messages saying Dannii had passed.
Surprise, Dannii Erskine is actually alive
In news confirmed by Dannii herself, she is alive! Her Instagram account — which was deleted shortly after her alleged death — was reactivated and the posts about her death were removed.
In a statement, Dannii had this to say:
“Dear media and others this may concern.
“On the 29th of April, 2023, my Instagram account was hacked. I received notification to my Gmail which I have attached that it was coming from Geelong region. I live on the [Mornington] Peninsula.
I spoke to the police over the phone and they going to look into it, advised I had to contact the cyber team and also reported it to Google.
I started to receive phone calls from a private number stating they were from the Geelong division police unit and there was something that were pin pointing locations [sic]. I spoke to my family who has now completely disowned me. They advised to try focus on my upcoming surgery for Monday.
I was in a car accident on September 17th 2022. For the last 6 months I have been homebound due to an injury in my ankle having severe injury from the accident. I was in hospital for many months including rehab.
I was advised not to comment, my sister never emailed So Dramatic!. All I know it was sent from someone who hacked my account. I have no idea who emailed So Dramatic! and to be honest I don’t really care.
I have been in hospital all week getting an ankle reconstruction. I can’t control what the media says but I was advised from doctors to focus on my foot recovery. I haven’t had time to deal with this. Their sources should have been confirmed before publishing anything. My sister had nothing to do with it and I was trying to focus on surgery from car accident seven months ago.”
Dannii Erskine spotted for the first time since “death”
As reported by Daily Mail, Dannii has been spotted for the first time and spoken to reporters, saying it was all a cruel prank from an “obsessed” fan.
Dannii told Daily Mail that she suspected the woman behind the news of her death is a “stalker” who is a former moderator of a Facebook group Dannii started years ago. Dannii said she’s had an extremely stressful two weeks since the news broke of her death.
The Daily Mail also got pictures of Dannii post her ankle reconstruction surgery, showing Dannii with a small bandage on her foot. View the pics here.
–