Hugh Jackman shares the ‘pact’ he made with wife Deborra-Lee Furness that once saved their marriage… as the couple split after 27 years together

Hugh Jackman once revealed how he secured his marriage to Deborra-Lee Furness by making a “powerful choice” years before the couple announced their divorce on Friday.

Back in 2019, WHO Journal published an extract The Father Hood: inspiration for the new father generationin which Hugh, 54, described the pact he made with his wife, 67, before they had children.

“But in those moments we said we would ask each other, ‘Is this good or bad for our marriage?’ Or, now that we have children, “Is this good or bad for our family?” the Wolverine star wrote.

“And as often as possible we do what is good for our family.”

Earlier in 2019, Hugh revealed that ‘intimacy’ was the key to a happy marriage.

He told People magazine at the time: ‘This is without a doubt the most important thing.

‘People talk about intimacy and assume that means in the bedroom. Of course that is true, but intimacy actually means being able to share everything together: good, bad, fears, successes.

“Deb and I had that from the beginning. We have always been completely ourselves towards each other.’

Close bond: Hugh Jackman, 50, has revealed the ‘simple but powerful choice’ he made as a young man that secured his marriage to Deborra-lee Furness, 63

The shocking news of the longtime couple’s divorce came Friday.

“We are blessed to have had a beautiful, loving marriage together as husband and wife for nearly three decades. Our journey is now changing and we have decided to part ways to pursue our individual growth,” the couple said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE on Friday.

‘Our family is and will remain 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 throughout our lives.”

In 2019, WHO magazine published an excerpt from The Father Hood: Inspiration for the New Dad Generation in which Hugh described the pact he made with his wife before they had children.

The former couple signed the statement as “Deb and Hugh Jackman,” adding, “This is the only statement either of us will make.”

The Australian couple share two children together; Oscar, 23, and Ava, 18.

The 67-year-old Australian blonde is 13 years older than Hugh, 54, and they have previously stated that they have never been apart for more than two weeks since their marriage in 1996.

“But in those moments we said we would ask each other, ‘Is this good or bad for our marriage?’ Or, now that we have children, “Is this good or bad for our family?” the Wolverine star wrote

The New York-based couple met on the set of the Australian TV drama Correlli in 1995, when Hugh was fresh out of acting school.

Although the show only lasted one season, Hugh has said that meeting Deborra-lee was the “best thing that came out of it.”

The couple married in Melbourne in 1996 and, after struggling with infertility, adopted their children, Oscar and Ava, in the early 2000s.

The 67-year-old Australian blonde is 13 years older than Hugh, 54, and they have previously stated that they have never been apart for more than two weeks since their marriage in 1996. Pictured on their wedding day in Melbourne, Australia