Ashley Pollard (born 1986) is an Australian cook, author, television and radio personality who came to public attention when she appeared on reality cooking show ''

My Kitchen Rules ''My Kitchen Rules'' (often abbreviated as ''MKR'') is an Australian competitive cooking game show broadcast on the Seven Network since 2010. The show is currently hosted and judged by chefs Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge, with Feildel being ...

'' in 2015.

Early life and education

Pollard describes her childhood as "privileged". She grew up on the Gold Coast, where she attended

All Saints Anglican School All Saints Anglican School ("ASAS" or "All Saints") is a private, co-educational school located in Merrimac, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1987 under the Aegis of the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane. The school is located on a 40-hec ...

, graduating in 2003. She also attended Paradise Performers, a dance school based on the Gold Coast, all throughout her childhood until she was in grade 11. She then studied and graduated from the Actors Centre Australia in 2008. She subsequently worked in event management.

Career

Pollard first appeared on the 2015 season of ''

'' where she and her cooking partner, Camilla, finished fourth. In 2015, Pollard appeared on ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Strictly Come Dancing (widely known as Dancing with the Stars)'' is an international television franchise based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing,'' itself a successor to the show ''Come Dancing'' (1950–1998) ...

'' where she and her dance partner finished third. She has also worked with Channel 7's website, Yahoo7 Be, presenting videos of various recipes. In late July 2017, she began writing 12 weekly blogs for Yahoo7 Be, sharing advice on how to deal with life's trickiest situations, everything from job interviews, to dealing with an ex. Pollard appeared in the 2017 season of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. Her nominated charity was

Beyond Blue Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses. The organisation works in par ...

. She stated she chose this charity because her mother's brother committed suicide. She was evicted on 7 March 2017, after lasting 40 days in camp and finishing in seventh place. Pollard was a regular guest host on 2GB radio show, Nights with Steve Price, which she began in April 2017. Her segment with Price was called "Thursday Food with Ash Pollard", and she and Price spend each Thursday discussing cooking tips and all things food related. She finished this role in December that year. Pollard released her first e-book on 9 July 2017, a cookbook entitled ''Eat Me'', which she describes as a compilation of her go-to recipes at home. In December 2017, it was announced that Pollard would be relocating to the Central Coast, NSW to join

Sea FM Sea FM was an Australian radio network, consisting of stations in Queensland and NSW owned by Southern Cross Austereo. Some Sea FM stations were later sold to meet media ownership requirements. Prime Television Limited purchased Sea FM Towns ...

for breakfast radio alongside Daniel Gawned. She began this role on 22 January 2018. Their show runs 5am-9am on weekdays. In 2023, Pollard competed in the second series of ''

The Traitors ''The Traitors'' is a reality game show franchise created by the All3Media All3Media Limited is a British worldwide independent television, film, and digital production and distribution company based in London. The All3Media group cons ...

'' and was chosen as a Traitor. However, she was banished by her fellow competitors and was eliminated in the third episode.

Personal life

Pollard has

misophonia Misophonia (or selective sound sensitivity syndrome) is a disorder of decreased Distress tolerance, tolerance to specific sounds or their associated Stimulus (psychology), stimuli, or cues. These cues, known as "triggers", are experienced as Dis ...

. She fosters animals, especially dogs, through the

RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Ash 1986 births Living people People from Hobart People from Melbourne Participants in Australian reality television series People from the Gold Coast, Queensland People educated at All Saints Anglican School