Hugh Jackman & Deborra-Lee Furness Are Splitting Up After Being Married For 27 Years

Sep 18, 2023

After 27 years of marriage, Hollywood superstar Hugh Jackman and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, have decided to separate to “pursue individual growth.” The announcement came as a shock to many fans who saw Jackman’s long-lasting marriage as an outlier in the entertainment industry.

Jackman is an Australian actor who is best known for playing the role of Wolverine in the “X-Men” film franchise from 2000 to 2017. The star has gone on to have a successful career both commercially and critically. He has won a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. Jackman got his start working in theater and on television in Australia before he crossed over into the film industry in Hollywood.

The actor has played the lead role in such films as “Kate & Leopold,” “Van Helsing,” “The Prestige” and “Australia.” Jackman also starred as Jean Valjean in the epic musical film “Les Misérables,” for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Another popular musical film led by Jackman is “The Greatest Showman.”

While Jackman has seen many successes since breaking into Hollywood, he faced significant challenges in his childhood. When the actor was 8, his mother abandoned her five children due to postnatal depression. She sought out the help of her mother and sister in England and left her children with her husband in Australia. Later, Jackman’s sisters moved in with their mother while he remained in the care of his father, along with his two brothers.

In his personal life, Jackman, who met Deborra-Lee Furness, a fellow actress, while filming the Australian TV show “Correlli” in 1995, married her in 1996. After suffering two miscarriages, Furness and Jackman adopted two children – Oscar Jackman, who was born in 2000, and Ava Jackman, born in 2005. 

While Jackman and Furness have announced they are parting ways, their love story had quite a fairytale beginning. Jackman met Furness after he was cast in “Corelli” in 1995. At the time, Furness – who was 13 years older than Jackman – had already established herself as an actress, something the young Jackman recounted made him feel quite intimidated at first. He told People:

“Deb, she was a big star. I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I’ll never forget. She took off her seatbelt and she turned around and put out her hand and took off her sunglasses and said, ‘Hi, I’m Deborra-lee Furness, nice to meet you.’ I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl.’”

Jackman admitted he developed feelings for Furness right away. He explained:

“When I met Deb, it was ten times better than my single life. She was very beautiful. She was unbelievably fun — this energy, this spirit — irrepressible. And she had a confidence in herself. I had a massive crush on her instantly.”

Jackman originally tried to ignore his crush but invited her over to dinner along with some friends, and they finally revealed their feelings to each other. He shared:

“She said, ‘I noticed you haven’t talked to me in like a week, what’s going on?’ I said, ‘I got a crush on you. I’ll get over it, I’m sorry.’ She goes, ‘Oh? Because I’ve got a crush on you too.’ I never in a million years thought she reciprocated.”

Just one year later, Jackman and Furness made their whirlwind love affair official and married in April 1996. However, the pair would find obstacles in their path when it came to starting a family.

Jackman was candid about his and Furness’s struggle to have their own children in an interview with The Herald Sun in 2011. Things didn’t go as planned as Furness suffered two miscarriages before coming to terms with the fact they wouldn’t have biological children. They decided to adopt, although Jackman said they don’t see their children as adopted kids.

“From the moment we started the adoption process, all the anxiety went away. … Obviously, biologically wasn’t the way we were meant to have children. Now, as we go through life together, sure there are challenges, but everyone’s in the right place with the right people,” he said.

While Jackman and Furness’ love story has been filled with ups and downs, the pair have decided to close the chapter on this stage of their lives. On Sept. 15, 2023, the couple released a statement that read:

“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.”

They continued, “Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”

Jackman and Furness signed off the statement with a note that “This is the sole statement either of us will make.”

Many fans have since lamented the fact that Jackman is yet another victim of 2023’s year of celebrity break-ups. Among others who announced their split this year were Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millepied, Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth, and Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner. 

What are your thoughts on Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness’ split? Did you believe they would go the distance? Which celebrity romances do you think will stand the test of time? Let us know, then pass this along to friends and family, too.