Former My Kitchen Rules star-turned-radio host Ash Pollard has been dropped from her Hit Network breakfast show Gawndy & Ash.
Southern Cross Austereo announced on Friday that Maz Compton, 41, who had been filling in for Ash while on she was maternity leave, will be her permanent replacement.
As of today, Maz will continue co-hosting alongside Daniel ‘Gawndy’ Gawned, with the show being renamed Gawndy & Maz.
New chapter: Former My Kitchen Rules star-turned-radio host Ash Pollard (pictured) has been dropped from her Hit Network radio show Gawndy & Ash
Ash, 35, will remain a part of the Hit Network family, filling in as a casual announcer for the network’s breakfast shows across the country.
As reported by Radio Today, Ash has decided to focus on her family after welcoming her first child, daughter Clementine, with partner Pete Ferne in September.
She said of working alongside Gawndy: ‘It’s not always you get partnered with someone that brings out the best in you on air. I will always appreciate Gawndy for allowing me to be me. Our chemistry was quite unique. We worked. I’ll miss that.’
Gawndy added that he was ‘lucky’ to work with such an ‘amazing’ co-host, and wished Ash and Pete ‘all the best with parenthood’.
New-look show: SCA announced on Friday that Maz Compton (R), who had been filling in for Ash while on she was maternity leave, will be her permanent replacement. As of today, Maz will continue co-hosting with Daniel Gawned (L), with the show being renamed Gawndy & Maz
Motherhood: Ash is now focusing on her family after welcoming her first child, daughter Clementine, with partner Pete Ferne in September. She will remain a part of the Hit Network family, filling in as a casual announcer for the network’s breakfast shows across the country
Maz returned to the Hit Network in September to fill in for Ash, five years after SCA unceremoniously dumped her from Sydney’s 2Day FM breakfast show.
At the time, a network spokesperson said SCA was ‘happy to welcome Maz back’.
They added: ‘A big thank you to Ash for all her amazing work on air these past two years.
‘We wish Ash all the very best for the pending arrival of her new baby and look forward to welcoming her back.’
Making her return: Maz returned to the Hit Network in September to fill in for Ash, five years after the radio broadcaster unceremoniously dumped her from her 2Day FM show
It was late 2015 when Maz and her former radio co-host Dan Debuf were replaced by Rove McManus and Sam Frost.
A year later she explained she was on an airplane when her then co-star Dan texted her a link to a news article, revealing they were dumped from the show.
‘So I got off the plane and I turned on my phone and Dan had sent me a text and I think the text said: “LOL” and it was a link to a newspaper article about how Rove McManus was taking over the Sydney breakfast show,’ Maz told the Game Changers: Radio podcast.
Permanent duo: Speaking of the news at the time, a Southern Cross Austereo spokesperson said the broadcaster is ‘happy to welcome Maz Compton back’. Maz is pictured with her co-host Daniel ‘Gawndy’ Gawned
Replaced: It was late 2015 when Maz and her former radio co-host Dan Debuf were replaced by Rove McManus and Sam Frost on 2Day FM
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about her shock demotion at the time, Maz said: ‘Of course I was disappointed, but it wasn’t my decision.’
‘It had nothing to do with how awesome our radio show is and was about the direction the company is going in, and I can’t take that personally,’ she said.
It didn’t take long before Rove & Sam suffered a massive decline in ratings, prompting 2DayFM to cancel their show in 2017.
Keeping positive: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about her shock demotion at the time, Maz said: ‘It had nothing to do with how awesome our radio show is and was about the direction the company is going in, and I can’t take that personally’