After winning the T20 Women's World Cup 2026 for the seventh time, the Australian team’s vice captain was found entangled in a controversy surrounding her personal life. Gardener’s wife, Monica Wright accused the player of cheating on her with another player from the national team. The controversy surfaced after The Daily Mail initially dropped the scoop reporting that Gardner's marriage broke down due to infidelity with an unnamed fellow cricketer.
Wright screenshotted the article to her Instagram stories, writing, “Nah this shit is too vague. I'll tell you what exactly happened”. She then went on to post a picture of Georgia Voll and captioned it, “This is who my wife cheated on me with..” Neither Gardener nor Voll have opened up on the controversy and continue to keep quiet about their personal lives.
The separation occurred just seven months after their April 2025 wedding, directly following the conclusion of Australia's World Cup campaign in India. It was during this time that Gardner unexpectedly packed up her things and moved out of their shared Sydney residence. According to reports, trouble reportedly began brewing during the Women's ODI World Cup in India.
Team insiders revealed that when Wright flew into India midway through the tournament to see her wife, the atmosphere was notably awkward. Teammates observed that something was "a little bit off with Ash" and she "didn’t seem like herself," though many initially chalked it up to tournament pressure.Upon returning home to Sydney, Gardner reportedly sat Wright down and stated that "something had changed in their relationship".
This explanation left Wright completely "shattered and distraught". The split was described as especially painful because the couple was actively preparing to start a family. Wright reportedly had to personally call and cancel a booked appointment they had scheduled at a local fertility clinic.
Inside Ashleigh Gardner and Monica Wright's relationship timeline
Ashleigh Gardner and Monica Wright’s romance began in 2020 after connecting on a dating app. At the time, Gardner was an emerging all-rounder for Australia, while Wright provided a grounded presence outside the high-pressure world of elite cricket. Over the next four years, their bond deepened as Wright became a fixture in the stands, traveling extensively to support Gardner’s ascending international career.
The relationship reached a major milestone in April 2024 when the couple shared a mutual proposal, joyfully announcing their engagement to the public. Exactly one year later, in April 2025, they celebrated their love with an intimate, rustic wedding ceremony nestled in New South Wales’ scenic Blue Mountains. Surrounded by close friends, family, and several of Gardner’s national teammates, the newlyweds looked forward to building a long-term future together.
Following their nuptials, the couple settled into a home in Sydney and actively began planning to expand their family, which included mapping out future appointments at a local fertility clinic. However, the honeymoon phase was short-lived. Just seven months into their marriage, the relationship severely fractured during Australia’s late-2025 World Cup campaign in India. By November 2025, the relationship abruptly ended when Gardner moved out of their shared Sydney home, leaving their wedding rings behind and bringing a sudden, devastating end to their five-year journey together.
