Hugh and Deborra lived together for 27 years.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness have announced their divorce. The X-Men star’s marriage was considered one of the strongest in Hollywood. The couple raised two children: their son Oscar is 23 years old, their daughter Ava is 18 years old. Hugh and Deborra have been married for 27 years.
“We are fortunate to have spent nearly three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our path is now changing and we have decided to separate in order to continue our individual growth,” the ex-spouses said in a statement to the press. – Our family has been and will always be our top priority. We enter this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding and respect for our privacy as our family goes through this transition in our entire lives. This is the only statement we can make.”
Jackman and his future wife began dating in 1996, even before moving to Hollywood, in his native Australia. Hugh was then a beginner, unknown actor. But Deborra was already a real star. She starred in the successful Australian films Shame and Traveler and was adored by audiences. They met in 1995 on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli and immediately fell in love.
“Deb, she was a big star… Some people I knew picked me up in a car, and Deb was sitting in the front seat of the car. I will never forget this moment,” Hugh told People magazine in 2017 about their first meeting. “She unfastened her seat belt, turned around, reached out, took off her sunglasses and said, “Hi, I’m Deborra-Lee Furness, nice to meet you.” I remember thinking, “I like this girl.”
There was a significant age difference between them – 13 years. But they got married anyway. Despite numerous attempts to become pregnant, Deborra was never successful. She experienced several miscarriages. After this, the couple started thinking about adoption. Oscar and Ava are their adopted children.
After moving to Hollywood and Jackman’s resounding success as Wolverine in the X-Men film, many predicted that he would leave his aging wife. But they still stayed together and seemed an even more loving couple than before. Jackman is now 54 years old, and Deborra is 67 years old.
