A cheating husband is bad, but this nameless betrayal made Jules Neale feel like ‘such an idiot’

August 28, 2026 — 10:00am

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We have a million scripts for surviving an unfaithful husband. The Belle Burden memoir. The Diana revenge dress. The classic suburban makeover: six kilos down, new fringe, couple of good tops. But we have no such thing for surviving an unfaithful best friend.

Like everyone, I’ve been glued to the rival Jules Neale and Tess Crosley tell-alls this week. As background, Jules left her AFL star husband Lachie Neale last year over his alleged affair with her best friend Tess. Yep, bit unseemly to be hooked on strangers’ lives, but one thing about the situation is fascinating.

And it’s not the marriage split. It’s the other break-up, the one between Jules and Tess.

One line from Jules’ podcast interview kills me: “I’m such an idiot.” She’s replaying four months of interactions with her then-best friend, the coffees, the confidences, through the bleak clarity of hindsight.

I wonder how many times she’s asked herself if she........

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