What happened in the private apology to groped radio host shocked me more than her boss' appalling behaviour - here's why: JONICA BRAY

By JONICA BRAY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 14:46, 2 June 2026 | Updated: 14:51, 2 June 2026 When radio host Cheralyn Darcey won Best On-Air Newcomer at the Australian Audio Awards last week, her moment was overshadowed by her boss, Guy Ashford.  He jumped on stage, lifted her up and groped her in front of the crowd - a moment widely panned by industry colleagues and now under investigation.  The public groping allegation is bad enough, but if I'm being honest, it wasn't even the part of the Guy Ashford saga that annoyed me most. It's a tale as old as time: a man deciding it's perfectly acceptable to steal a woman's spotlight and make her moment about himself. That award was Cheralyn Darcey's. Yet Ashford saw a woman being recognised for her own success and somehow decided he needed to be centre stage, too. We've all seen it before. A woman finally graduates after years of sacrifice, only for an overexcited boyfriend to hijack her milestone with a surprise proposal - before she's even had a chance to celebrate her achievement. Remember when Luciana Lourencao was about to win a half-marathon in Brazil, only for her husband to send their two young children onto the track? She had to swerve around them to clinch victory, while her husband, caught in the background of the viral clip, looked visibly put out, arms flailing in protest. The internet rightly called it out - just as they have with the Ashford saga. 2HD radio boss Guy Ashford was stood down after groping presenter Cheralyn Darcey while she picked up the award for Best On-Air Newcomer at the Australian Audio Awards Why is it so hard for some men to let women enjoy their own achievements - just for five minutes - before jumping in to steal the spotlight? Why are these people incapable of simply sitting on the sidelines while somebody else is celebrated? Then came the aftermath - every bit as cringeworthy as Ashford's behaviour itself. Ashford was stood down, an apology was issued, and it became clear that not everyone involved had grasped the real problem. According to reports, the apology was delivered in person to Ms Darcey - and her husband. Her husband. I'm sorry, but why? Look, I don't doubt that he was outraged - but why was there still an instinct to bring a man into the conversation? Maybe it was meant as a courtesy. Maybe no one even questioned it. But that's exactly the problem - women are still so often seen through the lens of the men around them. As wives. As partners. As footnotes in someone else's story. The Daily Mail spoke to Ms Darcey (pictured) yesterday and, more than anything else, I found her comments sad. She said the incident had 'wrecked' her award Ms Darcey is pictured days after the awards show incident To me, the husband line is the perfect illustration of the wider problem. A story that began with a man inserting himself into a woman's moment somehow ended with another man being included in the apology. While there's no suggestion Ms Darcey’s husband did anything wrong or requested to be present, his inclusion points to two issues: a woman was groped, and yet a man's presence was still considered necessary to make amends. It begs the question: has anything really been learned from this? The Daily Mail spoke to Ms Darcey yesterday and, more than anything else, I found her comments sad. She said the incident had 'wrecked' her award. 'I have worked all my life for this,' she said. 'I feel like people just think I'm a joke now.' That is the real tragedy in all of this. A woman who broke into a male-dominated industry in her 50s through her own grit, determination and talent should have been celebrating one of the proudest moments of her career. Instead, she is now forever linked to somebody else's behaviour and the award itself is no longer the story because we are all talking about Guy Ashford. He was her boss - but what does that mean for her now? While everyone else debates the incident, I suspect Ms Darcey is left at home wondering what on earth she's meant to do next. If she publicly condemns him, there will inevitably be people accusing her of overreacting, being 'woke' or not being able to take a joke. If he is reinstated at some point, she may also have to consider what that means for her future in the workplace. But if she says nothing, that comes with its own judgement. Suddenly she risks being criticised for staying quiet, for not speaking out strongly enough or for somehow failing other women. It's a no-win situation that many women know all too well. The person who allegedly behaved inappropriately gets investigated. The company issues statements. The public argues. And the woman at the centre of it all is left carrying the weight of everyone else's decisions. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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