Jules Neale has spoken candidly about the breakdown of her marriage to Brisbane Lions star Lachie Neale, revealing that the story behind their separation was, in her view, far more complicated than many people initially realised.

Appearing on Adelle Petropoulos’ Pretty Sure podcast, the 37-year-old mother-of-two reflected on the moment she learned of Lachie’s alleged involvement with her former close friend Tess Crosley and the discoveries she says ultimately convinced her that their marriage could not continue.

“It’s the worst feeling in the world,” Jules said as she described the emotional impact of learning what had allegedly happened.

Jules Says The Discovery Made Her Question Everything

Jules said she was informed about the alleged affair by a close friend after information had reportedly been passed on through another partner connected to the AFL club.

The news, she explained, immediately left her questioning how many people around her may already have known.

“You just question everything,” Jules said, recalling wondering whether other players and their partners had been aware before she was.

After seven years of marriage, Jules said she returned to Perth with the couple’s children.

But according to her account, what she learned afterwards made the situation increasingly difficult to view as an isolated incident.

What Jules Initially Believed Was Only Part Of The Story

Jules claimed she initially believed the situation involving Lachie and Tess amounted to a kiss.

She later alleged that she discovered it had been a secret relationship lasting around four months.

That revelation, however, was not the only reason Jules says her perspective on the marriage changed.

During the podcast, she revealed that she had previously faced another allegation of infidelity earlier in their relationship.

An Earlier Message Had Already Shaken Her Trust

Jules recalled receiving what she described as an upsetting “hey girlie” direct message from another woman, who she said provided “receipts” relating to an allegation involving Lachie.

“The worst day of my life. I didn’t leave bed for four days,” Jules said.

Before receiving that message, she said she would have been willing to “bet my life” that something like that would never happen to her.

Despite how deeply the experience affected her, Jules decided at the time to remain in the marriage.

Why Jules Chose To Stay The First Time

Jules explained that she and Lachie already shared a daughter and that she believed the earlier incident had been a one-off mistake.

She said she did not want to break up their family over something she had been reassured would never happen again.

“We already had my daughter together, so I decided to stay and try to work on it,” Jules explained.

For Jules, both choices carried their own difficulty.

She acknowledged that leaving a relationship after betrayal could be frightening, but said choosing to stay and rebuild trust could be equally challenging.

The Moment Her Thinking Changed

Jules said the most recent revelations were different.

According to her, once she learned more about what had allegedly occurred, she immediately felt that the marriage had reached a point from which it could not recover.

“When I did find out this recent thing had happened it was immediately, I was just like, ‘We’re done,’” she said.

Jules said she no longer believed she was dealing with a single mistake.

Instead, she feared the same pattern could continue into the future.

“If you could do something like this after that, it’ll keep happening for the rest of my life,” she said.

It was that realisation — rather than one isolated moment — that appears to have made her latest decision feel final.

More Stories Emerged After The Separation

Jules also claimed that once people became aware she and Lachie were no longer together, she began hearing additional stories from different people.

“Now people know that we aren’t together anymore and he was unfaithful, I’ve heard a bunch of stories from a bunch of different people,” she said.

She added: “It wasn’t the first time for us, which is awful.”

Her comments are allegations made during the podcast interview, and Lachie has not publicly responded to the new claims detailed by his estranged wife.

Jules Originally Planned To Keep The Reason Private

Jules also revealed that there had initially been plans to keep the circumstances surrounding their separation largely private.

According to her, the split was going to be publicly presented simply as a marital issue.

That changed when Jules shared a cryptic social media message saying she had been “betrayed in the most unimaginable way”.

She said making even part of the truth public brought an unexpected sense of relief.

“I actually felt a huge weight of relief off my shoulders,” she said.

“It actually felt good to have people know, not exactly what had happened, but just the truth.”

She Also Addressed Rumours Surrounding Their Marriage

During the interview, Jules directly rejected speculation that she and Lachie had been in an open relationship or involved in a swinging arrangement with Tess and her husband Ben.

“Definitely not in an open relationship and definitely not swinging,” she said.

Jules also confirmed that, for now, she intends to continue using the Neale surname so that she shares the same family name as her children.

While the public had already known that the marriage had ended, Jules’ latest interview has provided a much more personal account of how she reached that decision — including the earlier experiences she tried to move past and the later information she says ultimately changed the entire picture.