She is the former WAG who was at the heart of one of the most infamous NRL scandals in recent years.
But four years after her messy break-up and the subsequent legal drama, Kara Childerhouse appears to be thriving as she runs her own hair salon and raises her three children in a beautiful coastal community in Sydney’s southern suburbs.
Former NRL star Michael Lichaa’s world was turned upside down in early 2021 when he discovered Childerhouse, his then-fiancée and mother of two of his children, performing a sex act on his Bulldogs teammate Adam Elliott.
The betrayal resulted in their split, a custody battle, and a long domestic violence court case against Lichaa. He was ultimately cleared of all charges.
Since the separation, the Daily Mail can reveal Childerhouse has welcomed a third child and is working as a Pilates instructor and hairdresser, operating a salon out of her parents’ home in Sylvania.
Social media snaps of Childerhouse hiking in national parks and holidaying in Fiji suggest she has left her troubled past behind and has settled into a new relationship with someone who doesn’t have a public profile.
Kara Childerhouse appears to be thriving four years on from the NRL scandal that tore her family apart
Kara with her ex-partner Michael Lichaa
These days, the mother-of-three frequently shares photos on her public social media of her outdoor adventures with her children
In June, she shared photos of herself and her kids on holiday in the Pacific Island nation with a man, believed to be her partner, and other children, who appeared to be his from a previous relationship.
‘Fiji, I miss you already,’ she wrote alongside pictures of the group lazing on the sandy beaches and enjoying boat rides around the islands.
Just three months later, she shared a video of her and the same man hiking Morton National Park in the NSW Southern Highlands.
‘The Castle Hike – we bloody did it!’ she wrote.
‘Tough, but so beautiful. Let’s do it again.’
Other publicly accessible photos online show her catching up with friends and embarking on family outings with her children, including trips to the beach, camping and interstate holidays.
She also frequently shares pictures of her doting over her children, their school and extracurricular activities, and reflections on motherhood.
‘My little shadow,’ she penned in another post, showing her cuddling one of her children.
In June, Childerhouse shared a video of a hiking adventure
The pair enjoyed a game of cards and a fire as they camped in the Southern Highlands
Childerhouse operates a hair salon where she works as a colourist and stylist
‘My daily reminder that personal space is non-existent and I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
In another poignant post from February, she expressed gratitude over the life lessons she had learned as she marked her 30th birthday.
‘To all the versions of me I’m not anymore: Thank you for helping me bloom into who I am now,’ she wrote.
‘I’ll always honour each one of you for contributing to my growth, but most of all for passing the crown, applauding each time and rooting for the very best part of us.
‘I am feeling grateful to be surrounded by the most incredible humans.
’30s let’s do this.’
The icing on top of her pink love-heart-shaped birthday cake read: ‘Thirty, flirty & thriving.’
It comes just days after Lichaa spoke out for the first time about the betrayal that tore his world apart – and almost cost him his life.
The shocking incident unfolded at a party in Lichaa’s own home after hours of heavy drinking.
After catching his fiancée and friend in the act on the back deck, Lichaa was consumed by rage.
He stormed back inside before punching through a window in a moment that nearly cost him his life.
‘It’s not something you want to go through and certainly not something you want to relive,’ Lichaa told News Corp.
Other photos show Childerhouse enjoying drinks and outings with friends
She is pictured with a friend at a restaurant as she celebrated her birthday in February
In reflecting on entering her thirties, Childerhouse thanked the past versions of herself
‘But honestly, even though it sounds a bit weird, I’ve blanked it all out. I haven’t thought about it in a long time and I have well and truly moved on.’
The aftermath was just as brutal. Lichaa lost 2.5 litres of blood from the deep cut in his arm and required life-saving surgery.
Police charged him with domestic violence offences after witnesses claimed they heard him shouting threats, but the case fell apart when Childerhouse refused to testify and another witness withdrew mid-hearing.
In court, Elliott confirmed Lichaa’s account of what happened that night, admitting to his role and describing his conduct as the worst mistake of his life.
Magistrate Melissa Humphreys eventually acquitted Lichaa of all charges, clearing his name after months of public scrutiny.
‘I couldn’t get the image of my fiancée performing oral sex on my best friend out of my mind,’ Mr Lichaa told the court at one stage.
Elliott would go on to play another 72 NRL games for the Canberra Raiders and Newcastle Knights after issuing a public apology.
Despite the altercation and emotions running hot at the time, Lichaa has now revealed he does not hold a grudge against his former Bulldogs teammate.
Adam Elliott (pictured with wife Millie) admitted his alcohol-fuelled mistake with Childerhouse, later calling it the ‘worst decision of my life’
Lichaa (pictured with Childerhouse) has forgiven his former NRL teammate
In fact, Lichaa has taken the extraordinary step to forgive Elliott for his role in the betrayal.
‘I don’t have any hate for Adam,’ Lichaa said.
‘I have moved on. I can now look back at it and say s**t happens. I obviously did not feel that way at the time, but I have forgiven him.
‘It’s not like I have always been an angel. I’ve done some things in my life I regret, so I’m not going to sit here and say a bad word about anyone. What happened, happened, and it is in the past.’
Lichaa described the incident as a blur, though he recalled being arrested after police wrongly assumed he had committed an assault.
‘I think I had surgery that day. I was bleeding and in a pretty bad way when the police arrived,’ Lichaa said.
‘I got whacked in a jail cell for the night. Don’t ask me how that happened … Obviously, it was no fun and I have blanked most of it out.’
Kara Childerhouse (right) refused to testify against her former fiancé, who was acquitted
After winning the premiership with Cronulla-Caringbah in the lower grades, Lichaa said there was interest from NRL clubs.
But after everything that had happened, he knew his footy career was over and he retired in 2021, beginning a new life in the building industry.
Away from league, he has rebuilt his life and found stability with his wife Jennifer.
‘I had some offers to go on, but I had been battling injuries and needed surgery. I still could have played, but I had kind of lost my love for the game by then,’ he said.
‘Obviously it was a tough period of my life, and it’s not something I have ever talked about. It was not something you ever want to go through.
‘But I can look back on it now and say everything kind of happens for a reason. Since then, I met the woman who is now my wife, and we have a daughter together.’
