01.06.2026 14:30
At an awards ceremony held in Australia, a radio manager openly harassed a female presenter who came on stage. Following the incident, the director at the center of the scandal was suspended from his duties.
Shocking moments were caught on camera at a prestigious awards ceremony in Australia, where a radio manager openly harassed a female presenter on stage in front of hundreds of people.
Following this ugly incident, recorded moment by moment by cameras, the radio manager at the center of the scandal was immediately suspended from duty.
The incident occurred at the Australian Audio Awards ceremony held at the famous Carriageworks arts center in Sydney. Successful female presenter Cheralyn Darcey from 2HD radio achieved a great success by winning the "Best Breakthrough Presenter" award at the event.
However, as the young woman was heading to the stage to receive her award, Guy Ashford, a manager at the same station, suddenly rushed onto the stage. In images that horrified witnesses and viewers, Ashford was clearly seen running to the stage, tightly hugging Darcey, then spinning her around multiple times, and during this, openly harassing his female colleague with his left hand.
After the scandalous move, the radio manager raised his hands in joy as if nothing had happened, causing deep silence and cries of shock in the hall.
One of the award ceremony hosts, trying to recover from the shock of the incident, attempted to defuse the situation by saying "Alright..." into the microphone, while another gave a tragicomic response with the words, "It seems that radio spirit is still very much alive among us."
Outpour of Reactions from the Industry and Women's Rights Advocates
Following the scandal, the media industry and civil society organizations virtually lined up to protest against Guy Ashford. One of the ceremony attendees expressed support for the victimized presenter in a statement to Mediaweek, saying, "It's complete immorality. I feel really sorry for Cheralyn."
Women's rights activist Sherele Moody described the incident as the "peak of male privilege and impertinence caught on camera." Moody expressed her reaction, saying, "You feel so invincible and untouchable that you can rush onto the stage in front of hundreds of people and harass your colleague publicly. It's incredible arrogance."
Suspended from DutyHarassed Cheralyn Darcey and scandal creator Guy Ashford worked together at 2HD radio, which broadcasts in Newcastle, Australia, and is under the Super Radio Network umbrella, also including the popular Sydney station 2SM. Following the uproar, Super Radio Network General Manager Graham Mott issued an official statement. Mott announced that he personally apologized to Cheralyn Darcey and her husband for the disgusting incident.
General Manager Mott stated that Guy Ashford was immediately and indefinitely suspended from his duties at the radio station, saying, "Our internal investigation into the matter continues in depth. We will finalize the situation very soon."