Tess Crosley has claimed there is “truth to the swinger rumour” in a private message reportedly sent to an Australian TikTok personality, adding a fresh twist to the scandal involving Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale.
The 30-year-old mother-of-one, who has been accused of having an affair with Neale, 33, while close friends with his estranged wife Jules, reportedly contacted TikTok creator @ItsBrontes after coming across a video discussing the saga.
The message emerged just weeks after Crosley and Jules separately spoke publicly about the scandal, while Neale has previously rejected speculation involving “swinging”.
“Your video literally came to the top of my feed. There is truth to the swinger rumour but its not my place to talk about it,” Crosley said in the message.
“Jules denied it in hers and I would have unpacked it deeper if I knew she was also filming a podcast, keeping boundaries and respect in place for other people.”
Crosley added: “Would appreciate if you could keep this private.”
@ItsBrontes reportedly agreed to remove the TikTok video, however a screenshot of the private exchange was later obtained and published by the Daily Mail.
The apparent admission comes just weeks after Crosley gave her own account of the scandal during a sit-down interview with Savanna Young on The Debrief podcast.
The controversy erupted publicly in December 2025 when Jules posted a pointed statement to Instagram, saying she had been “betrayed” by Lachie “in the most unimaginable way”.
Crosley later acknowledged making decisions she regretted while speaking about the affair publicly.
“I definitely made some decisions I deeply regret,” Tess said.
“Accountability I can take, but there’s always context on how I got there. I think there were multiple things that happened in my life that took me to a place that was quite dark before everything started to happen and unfold.”
She also referred to problems within her own marriage but declined to elaborate out of respect for her then-husband, with whom she shares a two-year-old son.
Crosley’s interview followed Jules’ appearance on Adelle Petropoulos’ Pretty Sure podcast, where she made a series of explosive allegations about the breakdown of her marriage.
Jules alleged her husband had been unfaithful with Crosley and claimed there had been at least two other women during their relationship.
She also rejected rumours that she and Lachie had been “swingers” with Tess and her husband Ben Crosley.
Jules said she initially believed the incident between her husband and former best friend had amounted to a single kiss before later discovering that “it was an ongoing, four-month affair with my best friend.”
The highly public fallout ultimately saw Jules return to Perth with the couple’s two children amid the breakdown of their marriage.
The decision by both women to speak publicly about the scandal was subsequently criticised by veteran AFL journalist Caroline Wilson, who said she “cannot understand why either woman chose to do it”.
“Jules Neale and Tess Crosley both gave so-called tell-all interviews last week on the eve of the AFL finals campaign- a campaign in which Jules Neale’s estranged husband Lachie is expected to feature heavily,” Wilson said in her ‘Caro’s Call’ segment on Channel 7’s Agenda Setters.
She added: “I watched, read, listened to both of these interviews and I cannot understand why either woman chose to do it, who is advising them and what they thought it would achieve.”
Wilson’s comments sparked backlash online, with a number of viewers defending Jules’ decision to tell her side of the story.
“I think Jules would like to get the record straight. So why not?” one person wrote on Facebook.
Another wrote on X: “He [Lachie] chose to cheat right after his wife gave birth to his child… I think she’s well within her rights to release this before he has a big game of football.”
Others questioned why the saga was being discussed as part of AFL coverage at all. “And this is a football story?” one person wrote.
The leaked message has now emerged as Neale appears to have gone public with a new romance with 29-year-old Emma Field.
After Brisbane’s victory against the Fremantle Dockers on September 26, which marked the Lions’ third consecutive grand final win, Field shared a photo of herself with Neale on social media.
Jules, meanwhile, had posted a selfie wearing a Dockers scarf ahead of the match.
Neale, who is set to join the Collingwood Magpies in 2027, was also on the receiving end of a cheeky farewell from Brisbane coach Chris Fagan at the Lions’ Best and Fairest following another hugely successful season for the club.
“I wish you all the best with the rest of your life and whatever happens to you,” Fagan said to Neale, prompting laughter from the crowd.
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