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The woman at the centre of Lachie Neale’s marriage breakdown has issued a surprise birthday message to her ex. Tess Crosley married Ben Crosley in 2017, but it is believed that they split earlier this year after she was caught up in an alleged affair with Neale. In January, Ben told reporters that Tess no longer lived at their marital home in Brisbane and she was seen moving boxes in February. On Thursday, however, she posted a tribute to her ex, marking his birthday. The image posted on her Instagram story was of Ben Crosley wearing an all-black outfit with a white cap, sitting in what looked to be a waterfront restaurant. On his lap was their son, Beau, who was wearing a backwards cap topped off with a yellow party hat with streamers from the top. The child appeared to be giving his dad a kiss. The image was captioned, “Happy birthday to Beau’s Daddy” with a sparkle emoji and she tagged Ben Crosley. It was to the tune of Justin Bieber’s Everything Hallelujah. The birthday post comes after a major scandal involving the couple and Jules and Lachie Neale. After seven years of marriage, the Neale’s relationship broke down at the end of last year, reportedly due to an affair. At the time, Jules — who was formerly best friends with Tess Crosley — wrote on Instagram that she had “been betrayed in the most unimaginable way”. Soon after, Lachie said the pair had separated and he stepped down from his role as Brisbane Lions’ co-captain. While the infidelity was never officially confirmed, it was widely believed that Tess and Lachie had an affair. He told reporters at the time, “I have let my family down, and I apologise for my actions that have let down those that are closest to me”. Following the public scandal, Jules moved back to Perth with her two young kids and wiped any trace of Tess and Lachie from her social media. The birthday post comes months after an interaction between the exes in the comments of Ben’s post. He shared a series of photos from a day out at Hamilton Island Golf Club with mates in April, captioned simply: “Closaaah” (a reference to lyrics in Justin Bieber’s Coachella performance and unrelated to the affair allegations). Among the comments, Tess herself briefly appeared on the post, leaving a pinched-fingers emoji. One follower then directly questioned her about her relationship, asking: “Did he forgive you? I’m confused, no offence.” Tess replied bluntly: “Don’t think that’s any of your business.” Days later, Tess shared a longer statement to her Instagram story addressing the criticism she says she has been facing. She seemingly suggested people have been approaching her in the street. “I want to make this very clear, It is never acceptable for anyone to approach a stranger in public and make derogatory comments or abuse at them especially when they are simply trying to care for their child’s needs,” she said on Instagram. “My child does not deserve to be exposed to that kind of behaviour. No child does. “While I navigate my own personal challenges, my priority remains protecting and shielding my child from unnecessary hostility and cruelty in everyday situations.” Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox. Sign up for our emails