Heartbreaking reason why Deborra-Lee Furness was ‘relieved’ to see pictures of Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster
It wasn’t sadness, but relief that Deborra-Lee Furness felt when she saw photos of her ex Hugh Jackman seemingly made public with his former co-star Sutton Foster.
The Australian actress, 68, was married to the Hollywood star for 27 years before they announced their shock split in September 2023.
Rumors soon followed that Jackman, 56, had begun a relationship with his The Music Man co-star, 49, who was married to her ex-husband Ted Griffin when the pair first began workshopping the Broadway hit in 2020. production.
They appeared to confirm that they are now an item on Monday night after they were seen holding hands at a dinner party in Santa Monica, California.
After months of being ‘plagued by suspicions’, Furness can now move on, according to insiders, who claim the footage served to confirm her fears were justified.
“Deborra-Lee feels a sense of relief to be honest with you,” a source told DailyMail.com exclusively.
Australian actress Deborra-Lee Furness was married to Hugh Jackman for 27 years before they announced their shock split in September 2023
After months of being ‘plagued by suspicions’, Furness, 68, can now move on after images of Jackman, 56, and Sutton Foster, 49, served to confirm her fears were justified
‘She is plagued by suspicions. She was told it wasn’t true, and that they were nothing more than good friends working together.
“But something in her heart told her this wasn’t true.
‘She trusted her intuition and her intuition was right. She finally feels at ease after receiving confirmation that her fears and suspicions were justified.
“She can now completely close this chapter and move on.”
The insider added: ‘She has no more say in her ex-husband and his good friend Sutton.’
Furness and Jackman announced the end of their marriage in a shock statement in September 2023, telling fans that they were “changing” and as a result had decided to “separate to pursue our individual growth.”
Foster filed for divorce from her estranged husband in October after 10 years of marriage. They share daughter Emily, seven.
A month later, Furness raised eyebrows when her private Instagram account “liked” a video from gossip blogger Tasha Lustig, which claimed Jackman was “running off with the mistress” and planning a “soft launch” of his new relationship was to test the reaction.
Jackman and Foster appeared to confirm they are an item Monday night after they were seen holding hands during a dinner party in Santa Monica, California.
Adding credence to the claim was Furness’s friend Amanda de Cadenet, who responded to the same post: ‘You’re in lockstep with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to get her ass ripped off, fyi!”
The Wolverine star, who starred alongside Foster Harold Hill as Marian Paroo in The Music Man, decided to make their romance public this week because they are no longer “interested in hiding their love.”
“Enough time has passed for Hugh to stop playing games and hiding his feelings and his relationship,” a second insider said.
“They both wanted to be considerate of their exes and anyone who might be upset, but they’re not interested in hiding.
‘Hugh’s close friends have seen a rejuvenated glow in him and it’s all thanks to Sutton.’
They said Jackman and Foster bonded over their individual marital issues, but only began a romance once he got over “the heartbreak of the end of his relationship.”
“Things had been very rudimentary between Deborra-Lee and Hugh post-pandemic,” the insider continued. ‘Their relationship was not the same.
‘Hugh had to move with his feelings.
“They both wanted to be considerate of their exes and anyone who might be upset, but they’re not interested in hiding,” a source said of Foster and Jackman (pictured in 2022)
‘He had such a special bond with Deborra-Lee, but that is now over and he has to do what is right for him.’
Furness, who met Jackman in 1995 on Australian TV show Correlli, has remained relatively quiet since their split but revealed last year she had “big plans” for her career after the break-up.
She also told Australia’s The Daily Telegraph: ‘It’s exciting. You know what, change, transition, evolution is a little scary and we’re all a little afraid of it, but I think it’s probably our greatest gift.”
Furness shares adopted children Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19, with her ex.