Beau Ryan on his TV return after affair almost ruined his marriage and his multi-million property portfolio
BAD BOY Footy Show star Beau Ryan has spoken for the first time after the sleazy affair that almost ruined his marriage and television career.
Ryan has confirmed he will make his comeback on the shows grand final edition on Thursday night on Channel Nine.
It will be his first public *appearance since stories emerged last month that he cheated on his childhood sweetheart Kara *Orrell with former Hi 5 entertainer Lauren Brant.
Ive been away addressing some personal issues, Ryan said.
Since returning from a holiday (in America) I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received.
Im very much looking forward to getting back to work on Thursday with the rest of the guys.
Nines Footy Show boss Glenn Pallister says he is unsure if Ryan will address the sensitive personal issues on the show.
We havent spoken about that, Pallister said, Its been a difficult time for his family.
Im just really pleased we can welcome Beau back and Im sure many of our fans will be just as excited for him as Beau is to be back on the show.
Its up to Beau to decide what he wants to say.
But sources close to Ryan say the Beau Knows comic is working hard to preserve his relationship with wife Kara and that he is extremely remorseful.
Prior to the scandal breaking, Ryan and Kara appeared to be a picture of marital bliss, with a one-year-old daughter and a massive property portfolio that includes a $2 million mansion in Sydneys eastern suburbs.
The property was purchased in July last year, the same month that Ryans affair with Brant *allegedly began while the pair were performing together in Aladdin And His Wondrous Lamp in Sydney.
The home, where he and his family currently live, rounds out a portfolio of homes and units worth a combined $5.5 million, a mini-empire the couple began building shortly before Ryans *retirement midway through the 2014 NRL season.
There are also two units, worth $650,000 each, in Drummoyne, a $710,000 home in Warilla, a home in Illawarra worth $700,000, and a home in Windang bought back in 2009 for just under $400,000.
A solid footballer who played on the fringes of representative level, it was Ryans charisma in front of the camera which would prove to be his biggest meal ticket and helped fund his real estate splurge.
Nine significantly upped his salary and gradually increased his airtime in the lead-up to his affair with Brandt going public.
His appearance fees also skyrocketed and as recently as two weeks before his affair *became public, Ryan attended the over-the-top wedding of *Auburn deputy mayor Salim *Mehajer for which its rumoured he was paid a five-figure fee.
Whether Ryan can return to the same level of popularity he enjoyed before the scandal is yet to be seen.
Nine is sticking by the tarnished funnyman, however fans and viewers appear to remain divided on Footy Show forums and Ryans Instagram page.
Sue Cato, an issues management specialist who assists in high-level corporate crisis management, says the key to redemption for Ryan lies in a heartfelt and sincere apology.
The public needs to see a sincere acknowledgment of wrongdoing and an apology to the relevant party, Ms Cato said.
Its important that there is an understanding that what they did was wrong and why it was wrong. And also why that error wont happen again.
Brant, meanwhile, is believed to have pulled out of a scheduled appearance in Queensland *tomorrow to mark Lorna Janes Active Nation Day.
Brant, who lives on the Gold Coast, is an ambassador for the brand and was slated to appear at an event in Brisbane but a rep for Lorna Jane confirmed yesterday she would not take part.
Since the scandal broke, Brant has posted a series of social media updates that suggest she has moved on and has stepped out on a handful of occasions with former AFL star Charlie Dixon.
Most recently Brant, who lives on the Gold Coast, posted the quote: Sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one.
News of an alleged affair originally broke when *Laurens ex-fiance Warren Riley, a Gold Coast personal trainer, told Womans Day that she had confessed to cheating on him.
It came after Riley *allegedly discovered a text *exchange between the *former Hi-5 member and a friend which revealed she had had two encounters with Ryan.
Neither Brant nor Ryan have confirmed or denied the allegations of an affair.
