Ash Gardner and her ex-wife Monica Wright
The controversy came to light earlier this year when Wright revealed the affair on social media.
Gardner said the situation became far more public than she expected and admitted she had been “naive” about the level of attention it would attract. Gardner has since apologised to Wright and said she has spent time reflecting on what happened.
The relationship is believed to have begun during the Women’s World Cup in India last year.
The Australian vice-captain also said being a high-profile athlete means personal matters can attract intense public interest. “I was certainly surprised, as you could imagine,” Gardner said. Gardner said she now wants to focus on learning from the experience, having difficult conversations where necessary and moving forward with the Australian team. She also said she understood Wright’s perspective and tried to remain positive during what she described as a very difficult period.
Speaking to Australian outlet CODE Sports, Gardner acknowledged that her public image had taken a hit, saying, “My reputation has been tarnished with the public, but I guess something that I always try to strive to do when representing any team that I play in is be the best teammate that I can, and hopefully show what this team means to me when I’m playing for them.