Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster look happier than ever amid his divorce drama with ex Deborra-lee Furness

Hugh Jackman and new love Sutton Foster looked happier than ever during a recent outing amid his ongoing divorce drama with ex Deborra-lee Furness.

The Wolverine actor, 56, and Broadway icon Foster, 49, were seen holding hands and laughing together in LA on January 8, days after photos were taken of the pair passionately kissing.

Jackman looked giddy as he gave Foster the look of love while dressed in a gray sweater, sweatpants and sneakers.

Foster matched his casual vibe in a white top and coral sweatpants, and appeared to be makeup-free during the outing.

The new couple – who were engulfed by rumors of an affair before leaving their marriage – showed during the outing that the drama of their respective breakups had no impact on their new relationship.

Jackman and Furness, 69, announced the end of their marriage in a shock statement in September 2023, telling fans they were “changing” and as a result had decided to “separate to pursue our individual growth ‘.

DailyMail.com recently revealed that the now estranged couple is yet to file for divorce as their decision to dissolve a prenup proves to be a point of contention.

Insiders claim their split could become ‘messy’ as they struggle to divide their estimated $250 million fortune.

His newfound love has added to the growing tension between Jackman and Furness, who struggled with “resentment and power imbalances” towards the end of their 27-year marriage.

They worked on filing for divorce before Christmas, but were thwarted by the holidays and Jackman’s second role in The Music Man alongside his new love interest.

They now plan to file in New York “in the coming weeks.”

“One of the biggest reasons they haven’t filed yet is because they’ve never had a prenup,” an insider close to Jackman told DailyMail.com exclusively.

‘When they got married, they thought it would be forever. Who doesn’t? At the time, neither of them expected Hugh’s career to become as big as it has become.

‘Because there was no prenuptial agreement and he made a fortune during their marriage, this divorce will not be smooth sailing. It can even get messy because the stakes are high.

‘There are a lot of moving parts that need to be worked out and a huge amount of money is involved.

The insider insisted that they both want to make this “as easy as possible,” but that after three decades and one partner becoming a major A-list star, “it’s not that easy.”

Furness and Jackman met in 1995 on the Australian TV show Correlli, when she was a big star, and he enjoyed his first role, fresh out of drama school.

He proposed four months later and told Today in 2018 that two weeks after meeting Furness, he knew they would “be together for the rest of our lives.”

They married in April 1996 in Melbourne, Australia, before adopting their son Oscar, now 24, in 2000. Five years later, they completed their family unit when they adopted daughter Ava, 19.

Since tying the knot, Jackman has amassed an eye-watering fortune, estimated at around $200 million, thanks to his role as Wolverine in Marvel’s blockbuster comic book series.

He quit the role in Logan in 2017 before reprising the character last year – and hijacking the box office – playing Deadpool and Wolverine alongside his good friend Ryan Reynolds.

Jackman has also had a number of Broadway roles, received critical acclaim for Oscar-nominated films including Les Miserables and The Prestige, and has built a healthy real estate empire with Furness.

Jackman and Foster previously shared the stage on Broadway when they starred in a critically acclaimed production of the classic musical The Music Man.

Foster filed for an uncontested divorce from her husband Ted Griffin in October last year.

She had been married to the 53-year-old screenwriter of Ocean for ten years.

Fans had commented on how close they seemed to be in their off-stage interactions while appearing together in The Music Man.

Furness seemed to lend credence to the rumors when she liked an Instagram post in October from a gossip blogger who claimed her husband was “running off with the mistress” and was planning a “soft launch” of their relationship, according to Us Weekly.

A source told DailyMail.com in October that Furness had suspicions of an affair, but was still “blindsided when she heard about the affair.”

They described the alleged affair as “Broadway’s worst-kept secret,” adding that “Deborra-Lee was the last to know.”

According to a report from RadarOnline, Furness was particularly upset about the behavior of Jackman’s close friend Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively, as they reportedly “remained silent” about the rumored affair.

“They were tight-lipped out of loyalty to Hugh,” a source claimed to the publication.

“Now seething with anger at being the last to know, Deb feels blindsided. She has a memory like a steel trap and isn’t afraid to use it.

“Debs feels betrayed by all three because someone could have told her what was going on and they all chose to remain silent,” she added.