The presenters were influenced by the appearance of the radio and television presenter. Irene Mullan On Sunday night’s show.
As Mulan recounted the horrific domestic violence she suffered at the hands of a man she was dating, she began to shake, and later was approached by presenter Sarah Harris to hug her.
The 40-year-old’s appearance on the show came after an interview with Daily Telegraph Last week, she spoke for the first time about the abuse she suffered, including having her head stomped on.
The single mum, who hosts Sky News and also co-hosts breakfast show Hughie Ed and Erin on 2day FM, shared with the project presenters how difficult it was to make the decision to publicly reveal details of the horror she endured.
“No, no,” Mullan insisted when Harris asked her if she initially wanted to share her story.
Mullan explained that she decided not to share her story while her father, Senator Jim Mullan, was alive because she was worried it would break his heart.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, I think the stories started coming out more and more, but when I thought about what that might entail and the people that might be hurt by that.
“I’m not talking about people who were directly involved, but people like my family or my parents or people who didn’t know in detail what was happening.”
She explained how domestic violence can affect the wider family unit.
“So, just like when you’re in an abusive relationship, it affects the people around you even if you do your best to hide it. You’re often pushed away or isolated because maintaining this facade that everything is okay is so hard, so you’re unintentionally hurting your family.
“Then after that, the thought of detailing some of the painful things I went through and hurting my family again weighed heavily on my mind, especially my father.”
When describing a particular incident where a policeman called her parents to inform them of what had happened and her father came to her house and begged her to come home, Mulan began to tremble.
“Oh my God, I’m shaking and I host TV shows for a living, so this is a whole different position,” she said.
When she refused her father’s offer to leave with her, she said, “I will always remember looking through the little camera and seeing his face, seeing so much pain and hurt, and yet I didn’t go. So I feel so guilty actually for so much pain. I didn’t do anything but I feel guilty,” Mulan recalled bravely, her voice trembling with emotion.
Mullan encouraged others to speak up if they suspect someone is experiencing domestic violence.
“I went to a football game last night for the first time and a woman turned around and said, ‘I saw you in the ER and I knew and I told my husband at the time that I knew but I didn’t know what to say’ and she said afterwards ‘When I saw the story I went and I knew’.”
“It made me think because I get so many messages from people who have known me for two decades saying, ‘I was doubting, thinking, and didn’t know what to say. ’ Looking back, I think it’s very difficult to have a conversation with someone, and if you bring it up and it doesn’t happen, it can be very awkward.
“But my God, if someone had taken me aside at some point and asked me if it was hard, it might have been over before it became years… It’s a hard thing to do, I get that.”
Mullan recommends communicating in a kind and gentle way if you suspect domestic violence.
“It was horrible, you know, you live in fear all the time,” she recalled.
She said even the smartest people can fall into a “terrible trap” in their relationship.
“I was so into it and because I didn’t love myself enough, or I didn’t have enough confidence, and that plays a big part in it – you’re constantly being told that no one else will find you attractive, these are all your flaws, you are this and you are that, so you get to this point where you feel beaten down and humiliated and you’re isolated from your family because you can’t see them because they might find out something is going on.
“And you feel helpless, and you don’t feel like you can get help or that you deserve help, and then you start thinking maybe I’m the reason, or maybe I’m the problem because they said they wouldn’t do it to anyone else.”
Mulan said she had to go to the hospital several times due to domestic violence, but feels lucky to be alive.
“I don’t doubt for a moment that if I had stayed in that relationship I would be alive today, I wouldn’t be alive. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’ve come close to that on many occasions. It’s a tough thing to deal with but I haven’t done it yet.”
However, she says life is very different now.
“Life is amazing, I’m very lucky. I’m a 40-year-old single mom with a daughter, but I’m very happy, I’m in a very beautiful place… It’s made me who I am today.”
Project presenter Sarah Harris praised Mullan for her courage in telling her story.
“Erin Mullan you are a very brave woman and your little girl would be very proud of you and there are many women out there who are grateful that you are speaking out and speaking up for them.”
Mulan replied, “I already said that when I met her first boyfriend, I wanted to worry about breaking her heart, not her bones, and that’s one of my motivations, it’s very common.”
“There’s a hug coming your way in just a second,” Harris announced.
Harris then read out the 1800 RESPECT phone line for those in need of support, then confirmed with Mullan: “Hug coming now” as she made her way to the Sky News host, who said: “Bless you, thank you very much.”
