Former NRL player-turned TV and radio star Beau Ryan, 39, is flying high when it comes to both his career and family life, hosting both Top Gear Australia and The Amazing Race Australia in the same year.
But in 2015, it was a different story with the father-of-two’s personal life in turmoil.
While Beau and Kara are stronger than ever, their relationship has gone through some tough times. (Image: Getty)
After Beau was accused of having an affair with Aladdin And His Wondrous Lamp co-star Lauren Brant, his marriage to wife Kara Ryan (nee Orrell) was on the brink of collapse.
Nearly 10 years after they were in the eye of a media storm, the couple has turned things around and they are now stronger than ever – but their journey was anything but easy.
The scandal that shocked the nation
Nothing tears at the seams of an otherwise indestructible marriage quite like a cheating scandal.
And when Beau Ryan and Hi-5 star Lauren Brant’s sordid love affair was exposed in a Woman’s Day exclusive by Lauren’s scorned fiancé Warren Riley, heartbreak was inevitable.
Personal trainer Warren told Woman’s Day he discovered Lauren and Beau’s fling during what was supposed be a romantic holiday to New Zealand with his fiancée.
After noticing Lauren acting strangely, Warren checked her phone and was heartbroken at the text messages he found – the most gut-wrenching being several where Lauren admitted to friends she and Beau had been intimate.
Lauren Brant and Beau Ryan’s affair was exposed by Woman’s Day in 2015. (Image: Supplied)
“The friend was asking her, ‘What’s up between you and Beau – you seem like you have a complicated relationship.’ The friend kept pressing her about it, and Lauren replied, ‘Well… him and I have slept together twice,'” Warren said.
“I didn’t believe what I was reading… I can’t actually describe the feeling,” he added.
“It’s kind of a punch in the stomach. I felt completely sick and didn’t know what to do. Everything you plan for life… it’s just shattering. It’s so out of character for her.”
Warren Riley (left) was heartbroken when his fiancée Lauren allegedly cheated on him with Beau. (Image: Facebook)
Making amends
After the news went public, Beau – who starred on the NRL Footy Show at the time – took an abrupt leave of absence and jetted off to Vietnam for what was described in media reports as a “make or break” holiday with Kara.
“Beau and his family are on holiday spending much needed time together and we have no comment to make on their personal life,” a Nine spokesperson said at the time.
When he returned to the Footy Show, Beau made an emotional apology but avoided mentioning both Kara and Lauren by name – or any details of the scandal.
Opening the show, Beau told viewers he wanted to “apologise to all of the people who have been hurt recently.”
He added: “It has been really hard for myself and my family.”
“I want to thank everyone for their support … thank you to everyone who has been respectful of my privacy, I would love for people to continue to do that.”
Surviving the fall out
Six months later, Kara and Beau put on a united front in a tell-all interview with Woman’s Day, insisting they were stronger than ever and opening up about the toll the scandal took on their family.
“It was like my whole world just fell apart. I was just really upset and embarrassed and all I could think about was my family. I just wanted to make sure they were all right,” Beau divulged.
Of course, Kara was having an even tougher time. She said she was shocked by the sudden interest in her private life.
“It was overwhelming. I was upset and confused,” Kara admitted, revealing that she chose to stay holed up at their family home, rather than face the public.
Despite her own anguish, Kara said she felt for her husband during these trying times, saying: “I was actually more worried for Beau, if I’m honest.”
At the time, the couple jetted off to Vietnam to fix their marriage. (Image: Instagram)
Bouncing back
It took some work for Beau and Kara’s relationship to get back on track and in June 2018, Beau spoke candidly about the rough patch that almost tore them apart.
Speaking on the Balls Deep podcast, Beau admitted to being “self-absorbed” during that period of his life and touched on how his relationship was almost left in tatters.
“In 2015, we had some stuff happen between us that I was super upset about and super ashamed about. I can’t hide from that,” he said.
“It’s always going to be there, but it can shape me to who I am now and learn from my mistakes.”
Beau and Kara with daughter Remi and son Jesse. (Image: Instagram)
Never been happier
With the controversy now a distance memory, Kara and Beau are back to being a unified family.
They welcomed their second child in 2017, a son who they named Jesse. Jesse is a sibling to the couple’s nine-year-old daughter Remi.
“We’re really happy at the moment, things are good,” he told TV WEEK just before the birth of Jesse, who is nearly 6-years-old now, adding: “Having another baby has made our relationship stronger.”
And it seems Beau can’t get enough of his daddy duties these days, gushing about his kids during a candid interview with Now To Love in 2020.
“My kids are completely different to each other,” he said.
“My boy is like me – he’s a bit crazy, but my daughter is quite chilled and calm. It tends to be my daughter and I versus the world.”
Beau and wife Kara are a proving to be a parenting force to be reckoned with. (Image: Instagram)
