Hugh Jackman’s ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness has spoken out about feeling “betrayed” following their split.
The Australian actress, 69, officially filed for divorce from the Wolverine star, 56, last week after they announced their separation in 2023 following 27 years of marriage.
Jackman appeared to confirm his romance with his former theatre co-star Sutton Foster, 50, in January, with the pair spotted holding hands while leaving a date in Los Angeles after months of speculation.
Furness submitted a divorce filing in New York on May 25 after they reportedly agreed on a “handsome spousal support payment” for their two grown-up children.
She discussed the “traumatic” breakdown of their marriage on Tuesday, telling the Daily Mail: “My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal.
“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.”
She added that she has gained “knowledge and wisdom” during their split and “remains grateful” after processing that “none of this is personal”.
“It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom,” the producer said.
The Standard has contacted Jackman’s representative for comment.
Furness and The Greatest Showman actor announced their separation in September 2023, saying in a 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."
They met in 1995 on Australian TV show Correlli, when she was an established actress, and he was enjoying his first role after drama school.
The duo got engaged four months later and married in Melbourne, Australia, in April 1996. They adopted their son Oscar, now 24, in 2000 and adopted daughter Ava, 19, in 2005.
Jackman and Foster met in 2008 when she was starring in a Broadway production of Shrek.
The pair became Broadway co-stars in a year-long revival of The Music Man in 2022.
They grew close during the year-long run of the production, with Foster telling Vogue in 2022: “He disarms everyone, and he doesn’t make anything about him. He’s now become one of my best friends, which was a surprise”.
Foster said the pair spent Memorial Day together with each other's families that year.
Rumours began swirling that Jackman and Foster were romantically linked in January 2024, after Jackman was spotted in the audience of Once Upon a Mattress, a play she starred in.
In October 2024, Foster filed for divorce from her husband of a decade, the screenwriter Ted Griffin.
