Hugh Jackman Separating From Wife Deborra-Lee Furness After 27 Years of Marriage

Wolverine star Hugh Jackman has been married to Deborra-Lee Furness since 1996, but the couple revealed in a surprising statement to PEOPLE that they are separating after 28 years together. The duo met in 1995 while appearing in the Australian series Corelli, and married the following year. They welcomed their son Oscar in 2000 and their daughter Ava in 2005. The news comes as a shock to fans, who just saw the pair together at various events this year, including the Met Gala in May and Wimbledon in July. 

“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,” Jackman and Furness’ statement began. “Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.” They signed the statement together before adding, “This is the sole statement either of us will make.”

On their 27th wedding anniversary in April, Jackman took to social media to write, “I love you so much. Together we have created a beautiful family. And life. Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage and loyalty is an incredible gift to me.” You can view the post below:

Hugh Jackman Returning As Wolverine in Deadpool 3:

Deadpool 3 is scheduled to be released on May 3rd, 2024, but could be pushed back due to the strikes. Jackman has been training hard for the role and has even had some wardrobe mishaps due to his expanding muscles. Recently, Jackman said that the decision to return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 was his own. On TikTok, u/uncrazed caught up with the X-Men star to ask him how Reynolds convinced him to return to the role. Jackman quipped, “I make my own decisions, brother.”

Jackman was recently a guest on the Empire Podcast and gave an update about his Wolverine training and revealed the process hasn’t gotten easier.

“No, a lot harder. I’m doing eight shows a week right now, so I’m only lifting weights three times a week. But I’ll be getting into it once or twice a day as soon as this is done in a month. And I’ll have six months to prep, and I always have the same approach every time I go in. I want it to be better than ever, to be in better shape than ever, more able to do things than ever. I just get the added incentive of taking Ryan Reynolds out each day.”

Deadpool 3 will be directed by Shawn Levy, with a script written by Bob’s Burgers‘ Wendy Molyneaux and Lizzie Molyneaux-Loeglin, with Deadpool and Deadpool 2 writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick reportedly also returning to contribute to the script. Deadpool 3 will also star Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, and Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfadyen in unknown roles.

Photo by Marilla Sicilia/Archivio Marilla Sicilia/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images