{"id":16483,"date":"2026-07-25T06:06:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T01:06:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=16483"},"modified":"2026-07-25T06:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T01:06:34","slug":"my-kitchen-rules-star-ash-pollard-makes-grovelling-apology-after-she-was-hit-with-backlash-over-a-video-of-her-playing-the-didgeridoo-i-feel-sick-about-my-mistake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=16483","title":{"rendered":"My Kitchen Rules star Ash Pollard makes grovelling apology after she was hit with backlash over a video of her playing the didgeridoo: &#8216;I feel sick about my mistake&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Ash Pollard has issued a grovelling apology online after she received a wave of backlash from followers when she uploaded a video of herself playing a didgeridoo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The wind instrument was created by First Nations peoples and, in some communities, is traditionally only played by men\u00a0during sacred or ceremonial occasions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The My Kitchen Rules star, 40, shared a clip of herself on Instagram attempting to play the instrument, but was soon forced to delete it and apologise after fans slammed her for using it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I posted a video <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.com\/news\/article-10822905\/Aboriginal-woman-slams-disrespectful-British-woman-shared-TikTok-playing-didgeridoo.html\">playing the didgeridoo<\/a> without understanding that this instrument is traditionally reserved for men within many Aboriginal cultures,&#8217; she began.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I was wrong to do that, and I&#8217;m sorry. I feel sick about my mistake. I&#8217;m disappointed in myself on so many levels. I&#8217;ve removed the video.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I have genuine respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures, and I&#8217;m committed to learning more about these traditions so I don&#8217;t repeat this mistake.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-a3a653f5598afcd0\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242765-16004025-Ash_Pollard_40_has_issued_a_grovelling_apology_online_after_she_-m-11_1784936839371.jpg\" height=\"1288\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Ash Pollard, 40, has issued a grovelling apology online after she received a wave of backlash from followers when she uploaded a video of herself playing a didgeridoo\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Ash Pollard, 40, has issued a grovelling apology online after she received a wave of backlash from followers when she uploaded a video of herself playing a didgeridoo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-51d440caf31fa906\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242781-16004025-image-m-10_1784936804889.jpg\" height=\"692\" width=\"634\" alt=\"The My Kitchen Rules star shared a clip of herself on Instagram attempting to play the instrument, but was soon forced to delete it and apologise after fans slammed her for using it\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The My Kitchen Rules star shared a clip of herself on Instagram attempting to play the instrument, but was soon forced to delete it and apologise after fans slammed her for using it\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Please accept my sincerest apology. Thank you for holding me accountable. For those that kindly sent DMs with educational materials, I appreciate you very much.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In her initial post, Pollard could be seen sitting on the couch with her children \u2013 Clementine, five, and Claudette, four \u2013 while holding a\u00a0didgeridoo up to her mouth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Believe it or not, I used to be able to play this didgeridoo,&#8217; she wrote in the caption of the reel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I had managed to work out how to do the circular breathing in order to have continuous sound.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;My attempt is now abysmal, couldn&#8217;t even get decent sound out. I tried YouTubing some lessons but failed at further attempts. Such an amazing instrument!&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The backlash was swift, with many followers flocking to the comments to inform Pollard the instrument is traditionally played by men, not women.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Anyone who doesn&#8217;t understand why this is not okay needs to educate themselves ASAP,&#8217; one person commented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Come on&#8230; you need to respect the culture. Are you just taking the mickey here?&#8217; noted another.<\/p>\n<div data-channel=\"tvshowbiz\" data-mol-fe-xpmodule-join-debate=\"{&quot;env&quot;:{&quot;brand&quot;:&quot;dailymail&quot;,&quot;channel&quot;:&quot;tvshowbiz&quot;,&quot;geo&quot;:&quot;us&quot;,&quot;platform&quot;:&quot;mol.web.desktop&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;\/tvshowbiz\/article-16004025\/ash-pollard-apology-didgeridoo-backlash-aboriginal-culture-instagram.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=1490&quot;,&quot;environment&quot;:&quot;production&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;mol-fe-xpmodule-join-debate-default@1&quot;,&quot;version&quot;:&quot;1.3.3&quot;,&quot;xForwardedHost&quot;:&quot;www.dailymail.com&quot;,&quot;zkConfig&quot;:{&quot;bundle-versions&quot;:{&quot;default&quot;:{&quot;bv&quot;:&quot;18.6.0&quot;,&quot;vbv&quot;:&quot;7.18.0&quot;,&quot;fesbv&quot;:&quot;16.13.0&quot;,&quot;feabv&quot;:&quot;11.90.0&quot;,&quot;abv&quot;:&quot;13.7.1&quot;,&quot;expire-after&quot;:31536000,&quot;tag&quot;:&quot;fe_desktop_default&quot;}},&quot;bundle-versions-mobile&quot;:{&quot;default&quot;:{&quot;bv&quot;:&quot;12.6.0&quot;,&quot;vbv&quot;:&quot;7.18.0&quot;,&quot;fesbv&quot;:&quot;16.13.0&quot;,&quot;feabv&quot;:&quot;11.90.0&quot;,&quot;abv&quot;:&quot;13.7.1&quot;,&quot;expire-after&quot;:31536000,&quot;tag&quot;:&quot;fe_mobile_default&quot;}},&quot;games-platypuzz-build-version&quot;:&quot;15.0.15&quot;}},&quot;question&quot;:&quot;How should public figures balance cultural respect with sharing new experiences online?&quot;}\" data-reactroot=\"\">\n<div class=\"app--s6cJU\">\n<p><span class=\"titleText--LYcWe\">Join the discussion<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"questionContainer--fpHYN\">\n<p class=\"questionText--qEDdN\">How should public figures balance cultural respect with sharing new experiences online?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-4a614113409529f4\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242785-16004025-image-a-3_1784936571655.jpg\" height=\"951\" width=\"634\" alt=\"The wind instrument was created by First Nations peoples and, in some communities, is traditionally only played by men during sacred or ceremonial occasions\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The wind instrument was created by First Nations peoples and, in some communities, is traditionally only played by men during sacred or ceremonial occasions<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group mol-hidden-caption\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-f87a8ac86bf26696\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242779-16004025-image-m-5_1784936606586.jpg\" height=\"793\" width=\"634\" alt=\"\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group mol-hidden-caption\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-8a6e897e83d9914d\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242775-16004025-image-m-7_1784936641788.jpg\" height=\"785\" width=\"634\" alt=\"\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group mol-hidden-caption\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-7ca1837e2c833286\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242773-16004025-image-m-9_1784936676833.jpg\" height=\"717\" width=\"634\" alt=\"\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"artSplitter mol-img-group\" style=\"\">\n<div class=\"mol-img\">\n<div class=\"image-wrap\"> <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-c90eeaa00d5d2a88\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242879-16004025-The_backlash_was_swift_with_many_followers_flocking_to_the_comme-m-13_1784936921942.jpg\" height=\"734\" width=\"634\" alt=\"The backlash was swift, with many followers flocking to the comments to inform Pollard the instrument is traditionally played by men, not women\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">The backlash was swift, with many followers flocking to the comments to inform Pollard the instrument is traditionally played by men, not women<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Hmm &#8211; you may want to look up the cultural significance of men only playing the didgeridoo,&#8217; someone else said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Oh dear, Ash, I think you better take this post down. It&#8217;s not gonna be good,&#8217; one user warned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Long time follower but this [is] so disappointing, Ash. The didgeridoo is very sacred and should only be played by men. It also shouldn&#8217;t just be passed around like that in such a disrespectful way,&#8217; one person wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Others attempted to come to Pollard&#8217;s defence, saying not all First Nations communities prevent women from playing the didgeridoo, while others suggested that the former reality TV star likely didn&#8217;t intend to be disrespectful.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;People are speaking as though there is one universal Aboriginal perspective, when in reality opinions can differ between communities and individuals. There is not a complete agreement across all Aboriginal nations, but yes traditional cultural protocols should be respected and maybe, Ash, you should do your research,&#8217; one person wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;She wasn&#8217;t to know, if she did she would have respected the cultural background,&#8217; another added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ash Pollard has issued a grovelling apology online after she received a wave of backlash from followers when she uploaded a video of herself playing a didgeridoo. The wind instrument was created by First Nations peoples and, in some communities, is traditionally only played by men\u00a0during sacred or ceremonial occasions. The My Kitchen Rules star,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/07\/25\/00\/110242765-16004025-Ash_Pollard_40_has_issued_a_grovelling_apology_online_after_she_-m-11_1784936839371.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}