Lachie Neale and his wife Jules have reportedly spent the festive period in separate states, as their marriage breakdown continues to make headlines.
Rumours broke in December that the couple’s relationship had been on the rocks, with Jules taking to social media to write that she had been ‘betrayed’.
The mother-of-two wrote on Instagram: ‘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 try to heal and do what’s best for my children. Thank you for the love and support.’
Jules appears to have travelled back to Western Australia to be with her family, and is yet to clarify what has happened.
Last week, she shared a picture of the Busselton Jetty in Perth on Instagram, adding a ‘mending heart’ emoji.
Lachie and Jules met when they were teenagers, but they did not start dating until around six years later.
The South Australian footy player was drafted to Fremantle in 2011 and his relationship with Jules blossomed.
The couple were married in 2018, the same year Neale was signed to the Brisbane Lions, with the couple moving to the Queensland city together.
They they would later welcome their first child, Piper Rose in September 2021, before celebrating the birth of their son Freddie in December 2024.
Jules has regularly been seen supporting her husband at matches and was notably seen on the pitch at the MCG celebrating the Lions’ 2025 grand final victory with her husband and daughter Piper.
Over the years, Jules has also turned heads at the Brownlow Medal ceremonies, thanks to her show-stopping and glamorous sense style.
Neale has claimed two Brownlow Medals during his career, but after he cruised to victory in 2020, cameras turned to Jules in the crowd who cut an emotional figure.
It was then that the 32-year-old paid a heartfelt tribute to his wife, thanking her for all of her support, a speech that may now come back to haunt Neale.
‘My wife Jules, she’s an amazing human being,’ Neale said.
‘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.’
After winning again in 2023, he went on to describe Jules as ‘his rock’.
The hair stylist is now no longer following the Brisbane Lions captain on Instagram and last week, removed TGI Sport – the company that manages both her and Lachie – from her bio.
It came as Jules launched a public attack on her former friend Tess Crosley, who had found herself in the middle of the couple’s marriage breakdown.
Jules had demanded that Tess remove photos on Instagram of the Brisbane Lions’ recent Grand Final celebrations.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Tess.
Neither party has made a public comment on the situation.
Neale, who guided the Lions to back-to-back premierships this year, is understood to have returned to South Australia and has, according to The Advertiser, been spending time with his family in the coastal town of Robe, 300km from Adelaide.
