Singer Ellie Goulding found herself swept up in a diamond scandal after appearing at an event in London earlier this month.
Ellie, 39, was the ‘guest of honour’ at the flagship store launch for jewellery brand Boodles, sporting a necklace and earrings made of pink diamonds.
Unfortunately for the vocal eco-supporter, the diamonds came from Western Australia’s controversial Argyle mine.
The mine ceased operations in November 2020 but was long met with complaints from Indigenous people that their land was being seriously damaged.
Ellie, who has previously spoken out in support of Indigenous communities, was met with backlash for donning the £500,000 gems.
She has now apologised, admitting she ‘fell short’ due to her lack of awareness of the Argyle mine controversy.
‘Protecting the environment is a cause close to my heart. I always strive to uphold those values. Regretfully, in this instance, I fell short,’ she said. ‘I was not aware of the concerns surrounding the Argyle mine and I am grateful that it has been brought to my attention.
‘You will certainly not see me wearing diamonds originating from the Argyle mine again. The Indigenous and local communities affected deserve better.
‘While I am mortified to have made this error in judgment, I am letting this moment serve as a reminder and an opportunity to continue to question the status quo, to learn and do better.’
The Starry Eyed singer was made an MBE for services to biodiversity and the climate last year, as well as being a goodwill ambassador for the UN environment programme.
She’s also an ambassador for WWF, which has a campaign against the environmental damage of mining and its impact on Indigenous communities.
Boodles had acquired the pink diamonds from Rio Tinto, a mining company, at the start of the month.
The deal included the remaining stock of the diamonds but not ownership of the now defunct mine itself.
Around 90% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds came from the Argyle mine, which was open for around four decades.
In 2025, the scale of the mine’s environmental impact was shared in a report by Gelganyem, which claimed ‘forever chemicals’ had left the land ‘restricted’.
‘Land use will be permanently restricted due to soil, groundwater and surface water contamination from PFAS (the ‘forever chemical’) and hydrocarbons,’ the report stated.
Along with the chemical damage, the mining has allegedly harmed Indigenous burial grounds and a ceremonial cave containing art.
According to Gelganyem chair Kia Dowell, ‘traditional owners have confirmed that we are unwilling to accept a site that is contaminated with forever chemicals.’
The group told The Mirror that they ‘acknowledge’ Ellie’s apology and ‘welcome her recognition that Indigenous and local communities deserve better’.
‘[We] hope it helps the public and Rio Tinto shareholders understand what is at stake at Argyle and the standard Rio Tinto’s mine closure must meet.’
Rio Tinto responded: ‘Mining at Argyle in Western Australia ended in 2020 after 37 years, and we are currently undertaking major mine closure works, including rehabilitation, with long-term monitoring and maintenance to follow.
‘We acknowledge traditional owners as custodians of country. We are continuing to talk to them and their representatives, the Gelganyem Group, about closure, including Pfas.’
A source said Ellie has ‘no ongoing or substantial’ relationship with Boodles, who have not commented on the diamonds.
The acquisition was said to have been announced just before the flagship launch, which ‘may help explain why the connection was missed’.