Reporter 'regrets' infamous Melissa George interview that turned Australians against her.

WARNING: This post contains descriptions of domestic violence that may be triggering to some readers.

When Melissa George spoke on Sunday Night about the battle for custody of her two young sons after a domestic violence incident at the hands of her ex-partner, the backlash was instant.

In the emotional interview, in which Melissa spoke of how she “fought for her life” as her then-partner threw her against a door and slammed her head into a wardrobe after a night out, the former Home and Away star begged her home country for help.

Her sons, three-year-old Raphael and one-year-old Solal, aren’t allowed to leave France without written permission from her ex and she’s fighting for their custody.

"I just want my country to help me get home and to see this crazy crap we're going through. I need someone to understand what happened," she said.

But many Australians were disturbingly unsympathetic, because George had apparently "turned her back" on Australia in a now infamous 2012 interview with Fairfax.

“I’d rather be having a croissant and a little espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City ... I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet. If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me any more," she had said to journalist Christine Sams.

Now, the journalist responsible for procuring those quotes has apologised to the 40-year-old actor.

"When I took a call from Melissa George at my desk almost five years ago...neither of us realised how damaging it would be for the way she'd be perceived in Australia ever since," Fairfax journalist Christine Sams wrote this week.

"The backlash was swift and vicious - and has come back to haunt her now, right at the time she is pleading with her country for help."

Sams wrote she was surprised and almost delighted - something she is ashamed to admit now - that her interview with Melissa George took a dramatic turn.

The actress had just walked off the set of The Morning Show, where hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies constantly flashed back to her days on the popular Aussie soap that had made her a household name.

"As someone who has interviewed countless local and international celebrities over the years...it is very rare to hear a high-profile actor going off script," Sams said.

By distancing herself from the role - and the nation - that made her famous, Sams said George "broke all the rules".

"Public reaction to the story was instant and enormous - it was the water cooler topic of the week," she wrote, adding that five years on - and given George's current custody situation - she regrets the piece.

"I was the journalist interviewing George and all I cared about was the story at the time. The one thing I certainly didn't know was that nearly five years later, a clearly traumatised Melissa George would plead publicly to Australia for help after a very troubling incident of domestic violence in her French home and those words of hers would still be used against her by so many.

"Is Australia really so unforgiving that those flippant and somewhat ridiculous remarks will be held against her for years?"

Sams ended her column by offering an apology to the star.

"You don't deserve it," she said.

If you or someone you know is being subjected to domestic violence please call 1800 RESPECT or visit the website here for 24-hour advice, counselling and support.