Hugh Jackman didn’t speak to ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness for a week when they first met

Hugh Jackman was confused by his ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness almost immediately when they first crossed paths. However, at first he could only admire her from a distance.

Hugh Jackman avoided Deborra-Lee Furness over his troubled crush

For many secret fans, Jackman lived out a dream scenario when he met his love Furness. These two met in 1995 in the Australian television series Corelliwhere Furness was the biggest star of the time. In an interview on People‘s The Jess Cagle ShowJackson admitted that Corelli was his first major breakthrough role. And as nervous as he was, he quickly fell in love with Furness, who gave Jackman a very warm welcome.

“Deb, she was a big star. They pick me up and Deb is sitting in the front seat of the car. I’ll never forget. She took off her seat belt, turned around, reached out, took off her sunglasses and said, “Hi, I’m Deborra-Lee Furness, nice to meet you.” I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl,'” Jackman recalled.

But, embarrassed by his newfound love for his partner, Jackman only further distanced himself from Furness. However, he soon realized that he would not be able to maintain such a relationship with the actor for long.

“I haven’t spoken to Deb in a week. Then I thought, “This is not a very good plan,” he said.

Everything changed between them when Jackman invited Furness to a dinner party. When he asked Furness to help him with food, Furness mentioned giving her the silent treatment.

“She said, ‘I noticed you haven’t spoken to me in a week, what’s going on?’ I said, “I fell in love with you, I’ll never get over it, I’m sorry.” She says, “Oh? Because I’m in love with you too. I never in a million years thought she would reciprocate my feelings,” he said.

The couple dated for four months and tied the knot in 1996. They were married for 27 years before separating in September 2023.

How having children affected the relationship between Hugh Jackman and Deborra Lee-Furness

Jackman and Furness have kept their divorce private. The most the couple has ever talked about their split is the joint statement they released People.

“We are fortunate to have spent nearly three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our path is now changing and we have decided to separate to continue our individual growth,” they wrote. “Our family has and will always be our top priority. We enter this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding and respect for our privacy as our family navigates this transition throughout our lives.”

Their divorce came as a shock to many as there were no scandals in the couple’s marriage and there were no signs of cracks. But That X-Men star once noticed one significant change that affected their relationship. They adopted a son in 2000 and a daughter in 2005. Radio Time Just months before their divorce, Jackman opened up about how his parenting style was unexpectedly at odds with his ex-wife’s.

“You fall in love with someone and you make your relationship work, it’s great,” Jackson began. “Suddenly we had children. The way I was raised, the way she was raised… suddenly… wow! And it wasn’t just Deb and me, our pasts somehow merged together. We had completely different ideas about how to be a parent. And we never discussed this beforehand. We just assumed that we love each other, we don’t argue, everything will be fine!”