Jules Neale addresses swinging, open relationship speculation surrounding split from AFL star Lachie Neale

In a tell-all interview that aired on Wednesday, Ms Neale detailed the shocking circumstances surrounding her marriage breakdown with AFL star Lachie.

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Taylor Renouf
The Nightly
Lachie Neale's former wife Jules and friend Tess Crosley have released podcasts on the eve of the AFL finals.

Jules Neale has emphatically shut down wild rumours she and ex-husband Lachie Neale were swingers, saying they were never even in an open relationship.

In an explosive tell-all interview that aired on Wednesday on Adelle Petropoulos’ Pretty Sure Podcast, Ms Neale detailed the shocking circumstances surrounding her marriage breakdown.

She said she moved out of their marital home and returned to WA after she was told by a Brisbane Lions player’s wife that Lachie was cheating on her.

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She initially thought the cheating only went as far as a kiss, before discovering it was a four-month affair with her best friend Tess Crosley.

Following the revelations, rumours ran rife that the Neales were swingers — meaning the couple consensually engaged in sexual activities with other people.

After months of speculation, the 36-year-old finally addressed the claims that she says had largely been circulated by online trolls.

“It was definitely not an open relationship and definitely not swinging,” Ms Neale told Adelle Petropoulos on the Pretty Sure Podcast.

The Game AFL Finals 2026

“If we were swinging, I wouldn’t have packed up my life and packed up the kids and left over a kiss.”

The mother-of-two said she believed swinging rumours had become inevitable in high-profile cheating scandals.

“I swear that just gets thrown around in cheating scandals all the time because it absolves any wrongdoing because people can just say ‘Oh, they’re swinging’,” she said.

“But absolutely not the case.”

During the vulnerable interview, Ms Neale spoke about the moment she discovered the infidelity, saying it was the “worst feeling in the world”.

“You just question everything,” she said.

“You’re like, ‘Who knows about this? Am I the only person that doesn’t know? And does everybody else know? And did the other players know? And then did the other partners know?’

“You kind of question your trust with everything and everyone at that point.”

Ms Neale’s tell-all interview comes eight months after the high-profile couple’s marriage breakdown exploded into the public eye.

In December, Ms Neale rejected reports the pair were “working through” relationship issues and declared she had been “betrayed in the most unimaginable way”.

Her former best friend Tess Crosley was subsequently linked to the scandal after a screenshot emerged of Ms Neale demanding she remove social media pictures featuring Lachie.

Lachie confirmed the separation in January and stepped down as Brisbane Lions co-captain, admitting he had “let my family down” and apologised for his actions.

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