In the wake of their split, and pending divorce, Hugh Jackman’s ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness has described their break-up as a ‘traumatic journey of betrayal’, and shared the ways in which she’s been navigating her marriage breakdown.
Jackman appears to be in a new relationship with his former theatre co-star Sutton Foster, as they were seen holding hands on a date in LA back in January. Deborra-Lee, also an actor, filed for divorce from Jackman last week. Foster filed for divorce from her husband, screenwriter Ted Griffin, after 10 years of marriage in October 2024.
'My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,' Furness wrote in her statement. 'It’s a profound wound that cuts deep, however I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us.
‘This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage. I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose.
'It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.'
Furness added that the 'one thing' she has learned is 'that none of this is personal'. 'We are all on our individual journeys and I believe that the relationships in our lives are not random,’ she said. 'We are drawn to people, we invite them in, in order to learn our lessons and to recognise and heal the broken parts of ourselves...I remain grateful.'
Jackman and Furness met on an Australian TV show called Correlli back in 1995, which was his first role out of drama school, while she was already established in the industry. They then got engaged 4 months later and got married in Melbourne in April 1996, and adopted two children – Oscar and Ava, who are aged 24 and 19 respectively.
The Wolverine star told Today back in 2018 that he knew two weeks into meeting Furness that they were ‘going to be together for the rest of our lives.’
The former couple announced their split back in September 2023, releasing the following statement: ‘We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.’
Rumours have swirled that Jackman had an affair with Foster, which would admittedly fit with Furness’ descriptions of a ‘traumatic journey of betrayal’. Jackman and Foster first met back in 2008 when she was starring in a Broadway production of Shrek. Their families became friendly, spending Memorial Day together back in 2022.
In an interview with _Vogue_in 2022, Foster talked about her friendship with Jackman at length: ‘He has an impeccable reputation of being the hardest working man, incredibly kind, and generous—and all of that is true. He disarms everyone, and he doesn’t make anything about him. And he’s now become one of my best friends, which was a surprise, because you usually go into these things thinking, Well, I hope we get along. But we just spent Memorial Day with our families. It’s really fun to meet new friends after 40.’
Fans began to speculate whether Foster and Jackman were an item roughly four months after he had announced his split from Furness, when he was seen in the audience of a play she was performing in, Once Upon A Mattress, back in January 2024.
As far back as 2014, the pair danced together in the audience of the Tony Awards, a year that Jackman himself was host. They then began performing together in The Music Man from late 2021, with Jackman posting on X (formally known as Twitter) paying tribute to Foster, calling her ‘an exceptional talent and friend’.
‘There are hundreds of people who’ve made this moment happen. But there’s one in particular I pay tribute to - [@sfosternyc]{href='https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2Fsfosternyc&data=05%7C02%7Calice.hall%40bauermedia.co.uk%7C84409cb443b746a1846808dd9e9cb4fd%7C0e79f3f34eeb48ed815e2876c379e863%7C0%7C0%7C638841118093826423%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aXX34lTvm5he3M97Vvl5UuXAWSSfwi58gLDLVBVhyqg%3D&reserved=0' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}. this show is nothing without you,’ he wrote. ‘You’re an exceptional talent and friend. Your joy brings the company of [@MusicManBway]{href='https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fx.com%2FMusicManBway&data=05%7C02%7Calice.hall%40bauermedia.co.uk%7C84409cb443b746a1846808dd9e9cb4fd%7C0e79f3f34eeb48ed815e2876c379e863%7C0%7C0%7C638841118093836260%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s1OdVinuWFYaXf%2FFVp7jdHdt4S5SArceQ4eviavpyx4%3D&reserved=0' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} to life. Let’s do this!’ The post also included a video of the pair doing a dance routine together. Foster posted on Instagram shortly after calling dancing with Jackman ‘a dream’.
Reports have been made that the couple are now living together, but nothing has been confirmed by either Jackman or Foster. She was seen, however, in the audience of Jackman’s opening night of From New York, With Love show in New York City back in January of this year.