The fiercely private partner of neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has broken her silence to reveal the devastating consequences of his overseas exile after suffering a horrific accident.

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Charlie Teo’s daughters have broken their silence to defend their neurosurgeon father…

Fiercely private Traci Griffiths, partner of neurosurgeon Charlie Teo, has broken her silence following a horrific accident that left her with a bloodied face, broken vertebrae and cracked skull.

Her anguish was deepened by Professor Teo’s absence. Effectively banned from practising in Australia, he was thousands of kilometres away in Cambodia, about to operate on a young Ethiopian boy, when the emergency call came through.

Griffiths opened up about the heavy fall at her home to news.com.au, giving an insight into the brutal reality of living life around the neurosurgeon’s predicament, not just for her, but for patients across the country.

“It’s the reality of Charlie being forced to work overseas. We make the most of it but sometimes it can be really hard. But it’s harder for his patients than it is for me,” Traci insisted.

Traci Griffiths, the partner of Charlie Teo was rushed to Wollongong Hospital after a horrible fall. Picture: Supplied

Traci, a former model, suffered severe lacerations to her head. Picture: Supplied
“Him working across the other side of the world is clearly not without its challenges. There are times when I need to speak to him urgently, like this time, and he might be on a plane, without Wi-Fi, or in surgery, so we do have to adapt around that.”

Prof Teo completed the surgery and took the first flight home to be with his partner of six years after the accident. He rushed to Wollongong Hospital before organising her transfer to Sydney.

Traci, now recovering at the couple’s Illawarra home, is “not looking for sympathy”, and doesn’t usually “speak out, even when I’m directly contacted or hounded”.