‘My reputation was tarnished’: Ash Gardner opens up about affair and marriage breakdown

Ash Gardner and her ex-wife Monica Wright Ash Gardner has spoken publicly for the first time about the alleged affair with co-star Georgia Voll that contributed to the breakdown of her marriage to Monica Wright.Gardner said the situation became much more public than she expected and admitted she was “naive” about the level of attention it would attract.The controversy came to light earlier this year when Wright revealed the affair on social media. The relationship is believed to have started during last year’s Women’s World Cup in India. Gardner has since apologized to Wright and said she has spent time thinking about what happened.

Gardner ponders the public impact

In an interview with Australian outlet CODE Sports, Gardner admitted that her public image had taken a hit, saying: “My reputation has been tarnished with the public, but I think something that I always try to do when I represent any team that I play for is to be the best teammate that I can be and hopefully show what this team means to me when I play for them.”The Australian vice-captain also said being a high-profile athlete meant personal matters could attract intense public interest.“When you play sport at a high level, you’re open to having a platform and sometimes with that comes an interest from the public who want to know things about your personal life and are invested and then they can make judgments about what you do or don’t do.”

Gardner wants to move forward

Gardner admitted she was shocked when Wright publicly identified Voll, writing, “That’s who my wife cheated on me with,” next to a photo of her teammate.“I was certainly surprised, as you can imagine,” Gardner said.She added: “I certainly didn’t expect the situation to go the way it did or to become as public as it did. But I also understand that everyone has their own way of dealing with difficult situations.”Gardner said she now wants to focus on learning from the experience, having difficult conversations where necessary and moving forward with the Australian team.She also said she understood Wright’s perspective and tried to stay positive during what she described as a very difficult time.