Tess Crosley Claims Betrayal in Lachie Neale Scandal, Citing Public Outing and Leaked Information

Tess Crosley, who has been publicly identified as the woman involved in the affair that led to the breakdown of AFL star Lachie Neale's marriage to Jules Neale, claims she was also a victim of betrayal. In her first interview since the scandal erupted approximately a year ago, Crosley stated that the deepest wound was not the public scrutiny but the alleged actions of Jules Neale behind the scenes.

Crosley described her reaction to Jules Neale's public announcement of the split, which stated she had been "betrayed by Lachie in the most unimaginable way," as a sinking feeling that the situation was about to become public. She recounted that her initial belief was that all parties involved had privately agreed to keep the fallout out of the public eye.

However, this understanding was quickly dispelled. Jules Neale publicly identified Crosley by commenting on a photo of her and Lachie Neale, stating, "Take these down, you idiot. You're embarrassing yourself." Crosley described this as a "gut punch," feeling blindsided by the public revelation.

Crosley further alleges that Jules Neale briefed reporters off the record after the scandal became public. "Only a couple of months ago, I also learned that somebody from the parties was sending private information to the journalists," Crosley stated. She expressed that this revelation was "really hard," especially as she had been remaining silent out of respect.

While Crosley has stated she regrets her actions and takes responsibility for the hurt caused, she feels the narrative has unfairly focused on her, while other involved parties were shielded from similar scrutiny. "I always was thinking, 'Why is there so much about me?' She says. 'I'm a nobody.'

She described the situation as feeling like a betrayal when information she believed was private began appearing in the media, suggesting it originated from someone close to the scandal. "It almost did feel like a betrayal," she said, "hearing that people who wanted to keep things quiet weren't keeping things quiet by doing things anonymously."

Lachie Neale has since moved on from the scandal and is reportedly in a new relationship. The full interview with Tess Crosley was expected to be released by The Debrief with Savanna Young.