The woman at the centre of the Lachie and Jules Neale marriage breakdown has stepped out without her wedding ring as her husband was pictured looking downcast amid the biggest scandal in footy.
Tess Crosley has emerged as a central figure in the drama surrounding AFL star Lachie Neale and his wife Jules.
There have been no confirmed allegations or findings of wrongdoing involving Crosley or Lachie Neale.
Tess was a close friend of Jules, with the two families spending time together socially before the apparent split just before Christmas.
It has been reported that Jules and the couple’s two children have returned to her home state of Western Australia, while Lachie is currently in his home town of Robe in South Australia.
Neither Lachie nor Jules has publicly outlined the exact reasons for the marriage breakdown.
Tess Crowley stepped out without her wedding ring on the Gold Coast after returning from Christmas celebrations in northern NSW as the storm over Lachie Neale’s marriage breakdown continues to make headlines
Crosley cut a very different figure from the beaming, bikini-clad snaps she posted on social media over Christmas
Tess and Ben Crosley are pictured with Lachie (second from left) and Jules Neale (right) after the Lions won back-to-back AFL premierships in September
However, Jules shared a personal message to Instagram, describing feelings of deep hurt and betrayal, without naming anyone involved.
‘I want to make it very clear that I am not “working through” anything,’ Jules wrote in response to an initial report about her marriage, which stated the couple were ‘working through’ some differences.
‘I have been betrayed in the most unimaginable way.’
Crosley, a TikTok and social media influencer, has been married to husband Ben since 2017 and the couple share a young child.
On Christmas Day, Tess posted bikini-clad photos from a location believed to be near Byron Bay in northern NSW while spending time with friends.
The gallery was accompanied by the song Burn, Burn, Burn by Zach Bryan.
Ben did not appear in those images and Tess did not appear to be wearing her wedding ring.
Now images have surfaced of Tess returning to the Gold Coast, where she grew up, with her child but with no sign of Ben.
Ben Crosley has been spotted looking downcast in Brisbane (pictured) as his wife returned to the Glitter Strip
Ben also appeared to have removed his wedding ring in the photos
Crosley was all smiles on Christmas as she posted bikini-clad images to social media (pictured), but she disabled comments on the images
Crosley and Jules Neale (pictured together) were good friends but have now unfollowed each other on Instagram
She was photographed wearing an oversized light blue button-up shirt styled loosely over short bottoms, paired with black slide sandals and slim dark sunglasses.
Her expression appeared neutral and focused, with her head slightly lowered as if avoiding attention.
Meanwhile, Ben was snapped leaving a Brisbane service station, wearing all black including a cap and dark sunglasses.
He was carrying two large energy drinks and a bottle of water while also appearing to have ditched his wedding ring.
A moving truck was spotted in the driveway of the Neales’ residence in Brisbane last week.
Jules has unfollowed her husband on Instagram and deleted photos of the couple together.
Lachie still follows his wife and has kept their shared images online, including a photo from the Brisbane Lions’ back-to-back premiership celebrations in September.
When Neale won his first Brownlow Medal in 2020, he spoke publicly about the sacrifices Jules made during his high-profile move from Fremantle to Brisbane.
Lachie Neale and Ben Crosley (pictured together) have not made any comment on the situation to date
Neale is pictured with Jules at this year’s Brownlow Medal. When he won the award in 2020, he gushed about his wife in his acceptance speech
‘My wife Jules, she’s an amazing human being,’ Neale said at the time.
‘Not many people probably know but she owned a salon in Perth before we decided to move to Brisbane. She had to sell that to come over here and follow my dreams.
‘She was doing very well for herself over there but she always puts me ahead of herself when she shouldn’t have to.
‘She’s the most selfless person I know and my biggest support, so thank you very much Jules, I love you.’
Lachie met Jules in Adelaide through mutual friends before his AFL career took him interstate.
They began dating while Neale was at Fremantle, navigating periods of long distance as his football commitments grew.
Jules relocated to Western Australia to support his career, then later moved again when Neale joined the Brisbane Lions.
The couple became engaged in 2018 after several years together.
They married in 2019 in South Australia, surrounded by close family and friends.
