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A friend of Tess Crosley has issued a stunning defence in the wake of the Lachie and Jules Neale affair scandal.
The mother-of-one, 30, found herself at the centre of the scandal over the Christmas break, when Jules publicly declared the end of her marriage to AFL star Lachie, 32, pointing the finger of blame at her former friend.
Brisbane-based public relations consultant, Lyle Mercer, took to LinkedIn this week to defend Crosley from what he claimed was 'unfair' media scrutiny, while pleading for outlets to give the controversial figure privacy.
'I value the role of the media and the important work journalists do. But equally, the media has a moral responsibility to consider that their words and actions can have a profound and detrimental personal impact on those who are the subject of intense media coverage they have not asked for,' he wrote in his expansive post.
'I do not represent Tess Crosley or her family in an official capacity, and I am not being paid by any party,' he added.
'I simply know Tess on a personal level and have seen the effects of recent media coverage on her.'
A friend of Tess Crosley has issued a stunning defence in the wake of the Lachie and Jules Neale affair scandal
The mother-of-one, 30, found herself at the centre of the scandal over the Christmas break, when Jules publicly declared the end of her marriage to AFL star Lachie, 32, pointing the finger of blame at her former friend
Continuing, Mercer said that media scrutiny had taken a 'significant emotional toll' on Crosley, while claiming reporting about her in the wake of the scandal was an invasion of privacy.
'Tess is not a public figure and it is unconscionable that photographers paid by media outlets have followed her for more than three months as she goes about her daily life at home, visiting the gym, shopping, and even driving from Brisbane to the Gold Coast while visiting her family,' he wrote.
'Each media article is not only a gross invasion of privacy but a trigger for more personal hatred and threats towards her on social media, leaving her more vulnerable.'
Adding that he believed the coverage had verged into 'harassment', Mercer said that she had not invited publicity, despite Crosley grinning and playing up to the cameras during an outing in January, at the height of the scandal.
'She did not ask for this publicity or create it, and has made no public comment,' he said.
'Tess has a right to live her life as she chooses, and a right to privacy and protection.'
However, although Crosley has made no official statement about the saga, she did share a cryptic message in February, hinting that there was 'more' to the story.
She captioned the photos: 'There is always another story, there is more than meets the eye.'
Brisbane-based public relations consultant, Lyle Mercer, took to LinkedIn this week to defend Crosley from what he claimed was 'unfair' media scrutiny, while pleading for outlets to give the controversial figure privacy
'She did not ask for this publicity or create it, and has made no public comment,' he said. 'Tess has a right to live her life as she chooses, and a right to privacy and protection'
However, although Crosley has made no official statement about the saga, she did share a cryptic message in February, hinting that there was 'more' to the story
Crosley took to social media in March to share a gallery of selfies, including a braless look, that left little to the imagination, before briefly deactivating her account.
She also announced her arrival on the exclusive dating app Raya, leaning into a playful persona by listing her occupation as 'mammii'.
The listing was accompanied by a string of glamorous selfies, including one in which she sported blonde hair and a skimpy bikini.
The affair saga came to light last year when Jules publicly told Tess to stop 'embarrassing' herself and deleted photos of former Brisbane Lions co-captain Lachie from her Instagram.
By January 2, amid intense media scrutiny, Lachie had stepped down as co-captain of the Lions.
'While I will not go into specifics, I can say that I have let my family down and I apologise for my actions, which have hurt those closest to me,' he told reporters at the time.
'For that, I am deeply sorry.'
Crosley took to social media in March to share a gallery of selfies, including a braless look, that left little to the imagination, before briefly deactivating her account
'I accept this as a consequence of my actions and I need to focus on rebuilding trust with Jules, as the future well-being of our children remains our number one priority.'
Jules allegedly discovered the affair after a fellow Brisbane WAG spotted Lachie and Tess together in a car.
After confiding in another woman within the Lions' social circle, the unnamed spouse then told Jules what she had witnessed.
Weeks later, on January 18, Daily Mail briefly spoke to Crosley's husband Ben on the doorstep of the couple's marital home in Camp Hill, seeking clarification on the state of their marriage.
'She does not live here anymore,' was all he would say.
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