New details are emerging about the ex-friend Jules Neale fell out with before the hair stylist’s marriage with AFL star Lachie Neale collapsed.
Jules, 35, on Tuesday added another chapter to the swirling drama as she hinted she is mending a broken heart in her first social media post since first saying she had been “betrayed in the most unimaginable way”.
Her telling comment came after it was first reported she and the two-time Brownlow medallist were “working through” a private relationship issue.
Instagram posts this week suggest Jules and former friend Tess Crosley are not on speaking terms, with Jules telling Crosley to delete photos on Instagram that showed her with the Brisbane Lions star.
The former friends no longer follow each other on the social media platform.
“Take these (pictures) down, you idiot you’re embarrassing yourself,’’ Jules wrote, in a comment that has since been deleted.
As of Wednesday, pictures of the couples spending time together, including the celebrations that followed the Lions’ grand final win, remain on Crosley’s Instagram and TikTok pages.
Crosley, Lachie, the Brisbane Lions and Neale’s manager are all yet to make a public comment.
Crosley’s public silence is in line with details of her private life that have been uncovered by the Daily Mail.
The publication reports Crosley and husband Ben are of Mormon faith and share a son together.
The couple were married in 2017.
According to the article published on Wednesday, Crosley grew up on the Gold Coast and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from an early age.
She also carried out Mormon missionary work from 2015 to 2017 in Western Australia, posting some photos of her work on Instagram.
The article also states Jules informed Ben Crosley about the alleged affair between their partners.
Jules earlier suggested her marriage could not be reconciled following what she described as being “betrayed in the most unimaginable way” in an explosive post on Friday.
That came after it was reported the couple was “working through” private issues.
Jules responded by writing: “I want to make it very clear that I am not ‘working through’ anything. I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way.
“All I can do now is to heal and do what’s best for my children.
“Thank you for the love and support. Jules x.”
On Tuesday, Jules posted an Instagram story of Busselton Jetty, south of Perth. The photo of the stunning summer setting was accompanied by a heart mending emoji.
Moving trucks were reportedly seen at the Neales’ home in Brisbane last week and her latest post suggests Jules has travelled back to Western Australia to spend time with her family during the Christmas period.
Jules is from WA and met Neale, who grew up in South Australia, during his time playing for the Fremantle Dockers when the then 18-year-old midfielder asked her out at a popular Perth nightspot.
She rejected him at the time but they soon got together and before moving to Brisbane when Lachie joined the Lions in 2018.
“Once you have kids, you play for different reasons,” Neale told Style Magazine in an interview published in November.
“You’ve got a bigger purpose, and you just want to make them proud.” He admits balancing family life with professional sport can be tricky, crediting Jules as the stabilising force in the family.
“I’m probably a little bit selfish in my habits, striving to be the best I can be, and Jules is very good at allowing me to do that.”
Jules replied: “It’s funny when he says that, because I don’t see it as selfish.
“Everything he does to be the best is for our family. That’s what lets us live this beautiful life. I’m super happy to let him do what he needs to do.”
“Without footy, I wouldn’t have my kids. I wouldn’t have Jules. It’s given me so much,” Neale said after winning two consecutive premierships with the Lions.
“When I first started, I thought success was playing AFL, then winning a Brownlow, then a premiership.
“But nothing ever really satisfies you. If you’d asked me when I was a kid, I’d have said what I’ve already achieved is success. But you’re always searching for what’s next.
“So now, I think it’s about the memories and the relationships you’ve formed. Those people are gonna be the ones who’ll still be there for you after footy.”
“Relationships are success,” Jules said in the interview, which was accompanied by a video campaign promoting Brisbane airport, showing the couple walking through the terminal holding hands and looking loved up as they browse shops.
“That’s what binds everything together – being a good parent, a good friend, a wife, a daughter. Without good relationships and good people around you, everything crumbles.”
Jules has since wiped the two-time Brownlow Medal winner from her Instagram page, with all photos of the pair deleted.
Jules commented on a recent Instagram post of Crosley, calling her out for not deleting the pictures of the Lions’ grand final celebrations in September, which contained both her and Lachie.
“Take these (pictures) down, you idiot you’re embarrassing yourself,’’ Jules wrote, in a comment that has since been deleted.
As of Tuesday, pictures of the couples spending time together, including the celebrations that followed the Lions’ grand final win, remain on Crosley’s Instagram and TikTok pages.
A photo drop from Crosley in November also shows the couples and their children enjoyed a beachside a holiday together recently.
Those images showed the couples frolicking with their children in the sand. One image showed Jules and Crosley posing for a photo together with their toes in the water.
Crosley’s recent Instagram posts have all had comments turned off.
Social media sleuths have also uncovered another social media post that has raised eyebrows.
Crosley in June shared a video of herself, husband Ben Crosley, Lachie Neale and Julie Neale performing a TikTok trend together.
The clip shows the couples performing the “Hope our husbands like each other” gag.
The eight second video starts with Jules mimicking the phrase: “I hope our husband’s get along”.
Crosley, who is married with one son, then mimics the words “me too” before the camera cuts to a shot of Lachie and Ben with their arms linked drinking a cocktail.
The video was shared when Lions players were given time off during the club’s Round 16 bye week.
The video has been flooded with comments from TikTok users with one posting: “This aged well”.
The video was captioned, “Four best friends” and included a heart emoji.
You can watch the clip in the video player above.
Crosley’s post also included the Spanish text: “Cuatro Mejores Amigos queue Siempre Se Apoyan”.
The phrase translates to “Four best friends who always support each other” in English.
Who is Tess Crosley?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Crosley is a dental hygienist and also the co-founder of Evella Health, which produces environmentally friendly period products.
Her LinkedIn bio reads: “My objective is to be a successful dental hygienist in the community. My interest includes sports, travelling and meeting new people.
“I am a dedicated hardworking individual who works well both on my own initiative and as part of a team. I enjoy working as part of a team to achieve goals as well as being motivated by working independently.
“In addition I have great leadership skills which enable me to motivate my fellow team members through positive encouragement while still keeping a professional attitude when required.”
News.com.au has reached out to Crosley for comment.
Crosley’s most recent TikTok video, shared in November, has also been flooded with comments since Saturday.
While Crosley’s posts remain public, there is no evidence of their friendship on Jules’ account.
Jules and Lachie share two children, four-year-old Piper and a son Freddie, who was born in December 2024.
She celebrated her son’s first birthday last week with a series of photos shared with her Instagram followers.
The 32-year-old footballer did not feature in any of the photos.
He is not visible in any of the pictures on her Instagram page, dating back to 2012.
Her celebratory post last week did not reference her partner.
“Turning 1 today. This little man, and his beautiful big sister, have taught me what real love, courage, and joy look like,” she posted.
“You’re the sweetest soul Freddie bear. Thank you for choosing me, for holding me up without even knowing it. I’m so lucky to be your mumma and I love you beyond words x.”
Jules, in April, described their marriage as “solid”.
She told The Sunday Mail: “Every relationship has different pressures, it’s important to keep the outside noise out, in any relationship regardless of it being in the public eye, unfortunately, it’s inevitable that people are going to have their own opinion.
“I think Lachie and I have a really solid relationship, which is all that really matters.”
The couple showed no sign they were experiencing marriage issues when they appeared on the Brownlow Medal red carpet together in September.
They were also arm-in-arm posing for photos together ahead of the Brisbane Lions’ Club Champion awards night in October.
While dealing with challenges away from football, Neale had a fairy tale year on the field.
He battled a painful foot issue in the weeks leading up to the club’s grand final victory over Geelong.
Picked as the team’s substitute, he kicked a second-half goal that had teammates celebrating wildly.
The Lions also won the 2024 AFL premiership and are strong favourites to make it three in a row in 2026.
He was recognised as the game’s greatest player when winning the Brownlow Medal in 2020 and 2023.
Neale, the Brisbane Lions and Neale’s manager have not made any public comment.