One of Hollywood’s longest lasting couples, Hugh Jackman, 54, and Deborra-Lee Jackman, 67, shocked audiences when they shared the news that they are going their separate ways. The duo, who share 2 children, have been together for half their lives and the reason for their soon-to-come divorce has been revealed, and it’s nothing like what people expected.
Hugh and Deborra-Lee met in 1995.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness met on the set of the Australian TV series Correlli in 1995, on the first day of the actor’s first job after drama school.
“She was a big star. Everyone loved Deb. I get picked up by the car and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I get in the backseat. She had sunglasses on, she took off her seatbelt, turned around and said ‘Hi, I’m Deborra-Lee Furness, nice to meet you.’ and I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl’.”
6 weeks into filming, Jackman noticed a man courting Deborra-Lee, and he thought “that man has a crush on her”. That’s when he realized he was actually jealous of the man, and he had a crush on her himself. A few days later, after not talking to her for one week, he confessed his feelings and to his surprise, she reciprocated; she told him she was also crushing on him and that’s how their love story began.
After 11 months of dating, Hugh and Deborra-Lee tied the knot.
Over the following years, the couple struggled with infertility and experienced many failed IVF attempts and sadly, multiple miscarriages, all of which were “particularly difficult on Deb,” Jackman shared. Becoming parents was always their plan, Jackman shared, “We thought we’d have a kid or two biologically and then adopt. But when we decided we’d had enough of IVF, we went ahead with adoption.”
In 2000, they adopted their eldest son, Oscar, now 23 years old, and their daughter Ava, in 2005, who recently turned 18.
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee had a happy life together.
The two never missed a moment to show each other and the world how much they mean to each other. Every single year Jackman honored his wife by publicly sharing how much he loves her and fans always admired and gushed over the outpour of love.
In April 2023, on their 27th and last wedding anniversary, Jackman shared a loving tribute to his wife, stating, “27 YEARS! I love you so much, and together we have created a beautiful family. And life. Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage, loyalty is an incredible gift to me. I love you with all my heart.”
Just a few months later, one of Hollywood’s most loved duos announced their separation.
In a joint statement, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee announced, “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.
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.”
2023 brought many Hollywood couples to a stop, with many celebrities divorcing after years spent together. Another recent divorce was Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s and their reason, although different than the ex-Jackmans’, is equally devastating.
Tom Jones opens up about his marriage and love life after wife’s passing
After Linda’s death, Tom cancelled all his concerts and released a short statement:
Wife’s passing
“Surrounded by her husband and loved ones, she passed away peacefully,” the Sir Tom’s website wrote.
But last year, Sir Tom opened up on her tragic death. In an interview with This Morning, the Welshman said he would “never love again”.
His wife’s passing really crushed him and he struggled to perform on stage long after Linda was gone.
“When my wife passed away, I didn’t think I could sing,” Sir Tom explained. “When you’re emotional, you can’t sing, your voice closes up.
“There are certain songs I wouldn’t do. But you have to try and get things in the right perspective. Feeling emotional; use it to your advantage and put it into the song.
Now lives in London
“It took me a while,” he continued. “Took me a few months to try and see if I could sing. I got some of my musicians around and tried a few songs. But it was very emotional.”
Linda’s passing also had other consequences – Jones decided to sell their big mansion in Los Angeles, along with all their furniture, in order to move back to the UK.
Today he lives in a flat in London – that was Linda’s wish. His late wife had been homesick and wanted to move back to her roots, but cancer took her life before it was possible.
“She always said she wanted to come back and then she could not do it, so then she told me to do it in the last week she was alive,” said Sir Tom, who was married to Linda for 59 years.
There is no doubt that Jones still mourns Linda, whom he married at the age of 16. The couple met when Linda was 15.
Speaking to Radio 2, Sir Tom described the moment he first saw his wife-to-be:
“I remember her playing marbles and I thought, ‘My God, what great legs she’s got’. She was the best-looking girl around there and we got together. It was magic”, the singer said.
Linda and Sir Tom tied the knot as teenagers, just a month before their son, Mark, was born.
But their marriage would be rife with scandals and infidelity. For more than 50 years, Tom cheated on his wife.
om, who assumed the role of sex symbol, has previously admitted that he slept with 250 women a year at the peak of his career.
“From the very beginning, he was not exactly Mr Faithful,” biographer Sean Smith told Daily Mail in 2015.
It’s unclear how much Linda knew about her husband’s shady side, but it is clear that she suspected something wasn’t right. According to Sir Tom, the couple had a “don’t ask” policy when he was on tour.
”Linda lived a quiet life and rarely left the couple’s villa in Bel Air. During her single marriage to Tom, she has also had alcohol problems,” Robin Eggar, who wrote the official biography of Tom Jones, told the Daily Mail.
After 2003, the wife stopped accompanying her husband on his tours and remained mostly at home in the couple’s Bel Air mansion.
By then, she had already endured several scandals that must have tarnished their relationship.
In 1987, Tom Jones had a three-day fling with the 24-year-old Katherine Berkery, during tour in the US. According to reports, Katherine had no idea he was married and Tom refused to return her phone calls when she discovered she was pregnant with his child.
Nine months later, Jonathan Berkery was born in New York, in June 1988. Sir Tom denied he was Jon’s dad and refused to admit that it was his child.
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