Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness on Oct. 30, 2018.
In the aftermath of officially filing for divorce from Hugh Jackman, Deborra Lee Furness is opening up with grace and honesty about the emotional depth of their separation. Reflecting on their nearly thirty-year marriage, the actress expressed what she called a profound sense of betrayal and a quiet unraveling of something once cherished.
“It’s a profound wound that cuts deep,” she shared, capturing the weight of the experience. Though Jackman has since moved forward and is now in a relationship with Sutton Foster, his former co star in The Music Man, Furness has chosen a path of reflection and spiritual grounding.
The couple first announced their separation in September 2023, sharing a joint statement that emphasized mutual respect and a desire to grow individually after a long and loving partnership. At the time, they also noted that it would be their only public comment.
Now, two years later, following Furness’s filing on May 23, she released a deeply personal statement shared with PEOPLE, first reported by The Daily Mail. “In extending my heart and compassion to all who have endured the tumultuous journey of betrayal, I recognize the deep wound it leaves,” said Furness, now 69. “Nevertheless, I trust in a higher power whether God or the universe, whatever guides you on your path is always working for our good.”
She added that this belief has been a steady force as she has worked through the breakdown of her decades long marriage.
An image captured in April 2023 of the couple, taken just months before their announcement, serves as a quiet reminder of what once was.
Furness noted that through this painful chapter, she has uncovered not only grief, but also growth and clarity. “What seems like adversity often becomes the path toward our highest good,” she wrote. “It may be painful, but it brings us home to our truest self, to the values we hold dear, to our personal boundaries and ultimately, to freedom.”
Their love story began in 1995 when they met on the set of an Australian television show. They married a year later, building a life that included raising two children. And even in parting, Furness expressed her appreciation for what they shared. “I remain grateful,” she told the Daily Mail, “None of this is personal.”
She went on to reflect more broadly, “We are all walking our own paths, and I believe relationships are not coincidences. We attract others into our lives to help us heal, to teach us, and to remind us who we are.”
Since their separation, Jackman has found companionship with Sutton Foster. The two were seen together in Los Angeles in January 2025. Foster, who is also 50, previously co starred with Jackman in the Broadway revival of The Music Man in 2022. She filed for divorce from her husband Ted Griffin, with whom she shares a daughter, in October 2024.
