What began as one of Hollywood’s most respectful breakups is starting to unravel. While Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness publicly announced their separation last year with words like “gratitude” and “kindness,” a different tone has begun to make headlines. Although they split in September 2023, Furness didn't formally file for divorce until last Friday. She then broke her silence on the split, which she is calling "traumatic."
From Furness' point of view, the split was one of hurt and betrayal. She told PEOPLE in a statement first reported by The Daily Mail, “My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal." She described their divorce as “a profound wound that cuts deep,” adding that her belief in “God/the universe” helped guide her through the breakdown of their nearly three-decade marriage.
Furness reflected on the lessons she's taken from the experience. “I have gained much knowledge and wisdom,” she shared, adding that returning to her own values and boundaries has become a source of freedom. “It can hurt,” she admitted, “but in the long run… living within your own integrity… is liberation.”
She also spoke about the deeper meaning behind the relationships we attract in life. In her eyes, they’re never random, adding it was. “We are drawn to people… to recognize and heal the broken parts of ourselves,” she said.
While she added that "none of this is personal" and was still "grateful' for their experience, it seems like Jackman did not see it as such.
The Daily Mail reported that the Wolverine star is “extremely disappointed” and blindsided by Furness' latest public comments, calling it a breach of their “unwritten understanding” not to speak negatively about one another. “He knows he cannot change anything,” a source told the outlet.
The alleged affair
Jackman and Furness first met on the set of an Australian TV show in 1995 and married the following year. While it's the first public statement Furness has made, she has hinted at betrayal on social media.
In October 2024, she "liked" a post on Instagram accusing Jackman of having an affair with his Music Man co-star Sutton Foster. Jackman and Foster confirmed their romance in January 2025, but were first linked romantically in 2024, with the New York Post alleging their "affair" was the reason for the split.
Gossip blogger Tasha Lustig had alleged that Furness “gave up her whole life and career” only to be blindsided by Jackman’s growing bond with Foster during his Broadway run, a claim that, whether true or not, gained traction when Furness engaged with the post.
They starred in the musical together in 2021, walked red carpets together, performed at the 2022 Tonys together, and Sutton filed for divorce from screenwriter Ted Griffin, with whom she shares a daughter named Emily, in October 2024.