Woman driving Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre during crash that left her with 'four days to live' breaks silence
3 April 2025, 20:29
The woman who was driving Virginia Giuffre when her car collided with a bus has broken her silence after the Prince Andrew accuser claimed the crash had left her with just “days to live.”
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Cheryl Sassela, 71, was driving Giuffre’s white hatchback when it had what police described as a “minor collision” with a school bus.
After the incident, Giuffre, 41, shared a shocking photo on Instagram showing her in a hospital bed and claiming the bus had been driving at 110km and left her with fatal kidney failure.
Now, speaking for the first time, Ms Sassela has claimed the collision was a simple misunderstanding and everything has been sorted out.
“I'm not covering for her. I'm not implicated in a cover up,” she told the MailOnline.
Read more: King Charles health update after hospital stay due to cancer treatment side-effects
She described the incident as a misunderstanding and added: “I'm sure Virginia will release a statement soon to clear it all up.”
Ms Sassel helps look after Giuffre’s 40-acre weekend retreat in Australia.
Yesterday, it came to light Giuffre was due to appear in court for allegedly breaching a family violence restraining order just days before claiming she had days to live following a bus crash.
A charge was lodged against her at the Magistrates Court in Joondalup, Western Australia, on March 14.
No plea was entered at the hearing and the matter is next listed for a hearing on April 9.
Her estranged husband Robert, 49, is also facing separate charges.
Mr Giuffre was charged with inadequate storage for guns in February of this year as well as reckless driving exceeding the speed limit by 45km in September last year.
He had been fined $1,200 and lost his licence for six months for the reckless driving charge.
Ms Giuffre, 41, sparked concerns when she posted a 'battered and bruised' photo, claiming she was dying and had four days to live after being hit by a school bus. The picture appeared to have been taken from a hospital ved.
However police said they only had record of a ‘minor’ crash.
A statement was issued on her behalf yesterday that said: “Virginia thanks everyone for the outpouring of love and support. She is overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Today she remains in serious condition while receiving medical care. On March 24, in rural Western Australia a school bus hit the car in which she was riding.
“The police were called but said that there was no one available to come to the scene.
“They asked if anyone was injured and suggested that if they were, they should make their way to the hospital.
“The school bus driver had a bus full of distraught children and left the scene to get them back, saying he would file a police report, which he did later.
“Virginia was banged up and bruised and returned home. Virginia's condition worsened and she was admitted to the hospital.
“Concerning her Instagram post, Virginia thought that she had posted on her private Facebook page.
“Virginia and her family thank everyone for their concern.”
The full caption on her 'accidental' post read: “This year has been the worst start to a new year, but I won't bore any one with the details but I think it's important to note that when a school bus driver comes at your driving 110km as we were slowing for a turn that no matter what your car is made of it might as well be a tin can.
“I’ve gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology. I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time, but you know what the say about wished. S**T in one hand and wish in the other & I guarantee it's still going to be s**t at the end of the day.
“Thank you all for being the wonderful people of the world and for being a great part of my life. Godbless you all xx Virginia.”
A previous Instagram post by Ms Giuffre on March 22 included the caption: "My beautiful babies have no clue how much I love them and they're being poisoned with lies. I miss them so very much.
"I have been through hell & back in my 41 years but this is incredibly hurting me worse than anything else. Hurt me, abuse me but don't take my babies."
Ms Giuffre had recently been living with her children and estranged husband Robert in the suburb of North Perth, Australia. Recent reports suggest the couple have split after 22 years of marriage.
Ms Giuffre alleged that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17.
Prince Andrew has denied all claims but reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.
The settlement included a statement in which he expressed regret for his association with Epstein but contained no admission of liability or apology.
