Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness were Australia’s golden couple. What happened?

For nearly three decades, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness were Australia’s golden couple. The pair were rarely seen without each other on red carpets, and regularly sang each other’s praises in public.

But in September 2023, the golden couple announced they had split.

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness called it quits in 2023 after 27 years together.Credit: Getty

“We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” they said in a joint statement. “Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

Two years on, Furness has reportedly filed for divorce, quashing any hope of a reunion.

What has happened between Hugh and Deborra-Lee?

The pair met on the ABC TV prison drama Correlli in 1995. Furness, who was the bigger star at the time, and Jackman quickly fell for each other, getting engaged four months later. They married in Melbourne in 1996 and had adopted two children, the now adult Oscar and Ava, by 2005.

They often supported each other at major events like the Oscars. Jackman publicly lauded Furness, calling her “the greatest thing that ever happened to [him]” in a 2016 interview. He even serenaded her with a reprise of their 1996 wedding song at a Madison Square Garden performance in 2019.

However, just four months after attending the Met Gala together in 2023, the couple announced their separation, citing individual growth, although they were still seen together later, including at Jackman’s 55th birthday. In May 2025, Furness filed for divorce.

Why is their divorce in the news again?

The reason behind the dissolution of their marriage has publicly remained a mystery since their separation. However, a few days after Furness filed for divorce, she issued a statement to media about the break-up, which she called a “profound wound”.

“My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal … However, I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe ... is always working FOR us,” she said.

“It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.”

Jackman has not responded to Furness’ statement, but in the hours after the statement was reported posted an Instagram video of himself skipping to NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye, a track used in his film Deadpool & Wolverine.

Who is Sutton Foster?

Foster is an American stage actor who has known Jackman since the early 2000s thanks to their shared involvement in musical theatre. In 2022, they performed together in The Music Man on Broadway.

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster performed together in The Music Man in 2022.Credit: AP

In October 2024, Foster and her husband Ted Griffin divorced. Sightings of Jackman and Sutton together in public following Sutton’s divorce fuelled speculation she and Jackman were together, and that their connection was allegedly linked to Jackman and Furness’ separation. Neither Jackman nor Furness have directly addressed this.

Early this year, Jackman and Foster seemingly confirmed their romantic relationship after being photographed holding hands in California. They have been seen together several times since, and have attended each other’s live shows.

What comes after ‘grey divorce’?

While a 27-year marriage ending may seem difficult to comprehend, it’s not uncommon.

Grey divorce – the term used for older people splitting up – has been on the rise over the past few decades. According to figures released by the Australian Institute of Family Studies in 2023, more than one-quarter of the 56,244 divorces granted in 2021 involved couples who were married for 20 years or more, up from about one in five in the 1980s and 1990s.

There are many possible reasons behind this trend, including challenges post-retirement, empty nest syndrome, infidelity, and financial issues. Some couples may simply realise that after all that time together, they have grown in different directions.

Diving back into the dating pool past middle age (Jackman is now 56 and Furness 69) may seem daunting, but several other celebrity grey divorces have proven it’s possible.

For example, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber ended their 11-year relationship when they were 47 and 48, respectively. Since then, Watts has married The Morning Show’s Billy Crudup, and Schreiber married Taylor Neisen. They remain on good terms with each other.

After nearly five decades together, Meryl Streep and Don Gummer also split. Streep remains an icon, most recently appearing in Only Murders in the Building, and if rumours are to be believed, she has also begun a romantic relationship with her co-star Martin Short.

And while Kevin Costner remains single after his divorce from Christine Baumgartner, the significant change later in his life (he was 68 when he got divorced) hasn’t stopped him from major projects, including his epic western film series – Horizon: An American Saga.

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