2HD / 1053 general manager suspended after alleged awards-night groping

1 June 2026

guy-ashford-groping

newy.com.au – As reported by Mediaweek, 2HD / 1053 general manager Guy Ashford has been suspended from his duties after an alleged awards-night incident involving Newcastle presenter Cheralyn Darcey.

Several websites including the Daily Telegraph reported that the incident happened at the 2026 Australian Audio Awards at Carriageworks in Sydney, where Darcey had just won “Best Newcomer On Air – Medium” for her program “The Nightline with Cheralyn Darcey”.

Video shot from the crowd shows Darcey appearing emotional as she walked on stage to accept the award before Ashford approached her in what appeared to be a congratulatory moment. He was then seen embracing and twirling Darcey before grabbing her backside with his left hand, prompting audible gasps from the audience.

Ashford then raised his arms in the air as the moment unfolded in front of guests at the national radio and podcast awards event which was held on Thursday, 28 May 2026.

It has been reported that Ashford has been suspended from his role as general manager of the Sandgate based station, which is a part of the Super Radio Network and owned by Broadcast Operations Group. SRN also owns Sydney station 2SM.

SRN managing director Graham Mott told Mediaweek Ashford had been suspended from his duties and said he had apologised to Darcey and her husband, who was also at the awards.

“We will be having further discussions regarding the matter,” Mr Mott told Mediaweek.

Darcey hosts The Nightline on 2HD from 8pm to midnight and was recognised at the awards for her work on her show which airs from Sandgate, the show is networked to a large number of stations around Australia including 2SM in Sydney.

Guy Ashford has worked in the radio industry since 1980, apart from a brief stint at Bartercard. His position at Broadcast Operations Group is significant as he manages teams who output content for the national FM and AM Super Radio Networks from the Sandgate studios.

The video has since gone viral across multiple national news websites and and activist group Facebook pages, his LinkedIn and Facebook pages have since been deleted.