Celebrity sweethearts, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, shocked the world when they called it quits on their 27-year marriage.
On September 15, 2023, the couple released a joint statement, saying, “We have been blessed to share almost three 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.
“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.”
The news came as a shock to fans, with the divorce announcement seeming to appear out of the blue.
Since then, the announcement was further complicated after old comments from Hugh’s memoir were re-surfaced online, in which he spoke of a “marriage pact” between the couple, which might have something to do with why the couple chose to end their marriage now after many years together.
Naturally, some are wondering what’s behind the seemingly sudden split?
Why Did Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness Split?
Any specific reason for the split has not been divulged, but it could be anything from having adult kids, to something else in the stars’ private lives.
Here’s everything we know about the divorce since its announcement in September 2023.
Hugh & Deborra Had A ‘Marriage Pact’
In newly re-surfaced quotes from Jackman’s 2019 memoir The Father Hood: Inspiration, Hugh spoke of a ‘marriage pact’ the couple agreed to before they had kids.
“Before we had kids, Deb and I made a pretty simple but powerful choice to look each other in the eye at every crossroads in life. Those crossroads are sometimes big, sometimes wrote.
“But at those moments, we said we’d ask each other, ‘Is this good or bad for our marriage?’ Or, now that we’ve got kids, ‘Is this good or bad for our family?’ And as often as possible, we do the thing that is good for our family.”
While these words may or may not remain true to Jackman and Furness all these years on, it could hint at the reason behind their split coming from them finding something “bad for our marriage”.
The Kids Are Grown Up
Celebrity psychologist Cooper Lawrence appeared on Channel 7’s Sunrise touting that Jackman and Furness’ kids are behind the divorce.
“Here’s my theory: Oscar is 23, and Ava is 18. So, I think they were waiting until the kids were old enough that they can have an amicable split and not worry about child custody or how much everybody’s going to pay each other every month,” she said on the morning show.
Without referencing Hugh and Deb specifically, Relationships Australia NSW CEO and clinical psychologist Elisabeth Shaw confirmed to marie claire Australia that grown-up kids can be a big reason for a couple’s decision to separate later in life.
“At this stage, for a couple that has children, they have seen-out a substantial number of high-impact years,” she begins. “It’s not necessarily that [people] are ‘plotting’ for this or that it’s even conscious. Psychologically, it can be a sense of ‘completing’ a certain phase of family life, and then a couple is really asking themselves, ‘What’s ahead for us?’ It’s a time for reflection among couples.”
Hugh Breaks Silence On Split
After being asked by paparazzi in the days after his split, Hugh Jackman offered a comment to photographers.
In footage obtained by TMZ, Jackman said he didn’t feel “right” discussing the matter.
“It doesn’t feel quite right talking about it on the street, but I appreciate your thoughts, man,” he says to the photographer.
He then adds: “It’s a difficult time.”
While this is certainly a time of change for the family, we may be waiting a while before any details become public.
