Hugh Jackman’s longtime friend is giving an update on the Hollywood star after his estranged wife Deborra-Lee Furness alluded to “betrayal” in her first statement since filing for divorce.
“It’s not just that statement, but the last couple of years have been difficult,” Australian radio personality Gus Worland, who has been friends with Jackman, 56, since childhood, said on the Australian radio show Ben Fordham Live on Thursday, May 29.
“No one wants anyone to go through what they’ve been through, and, of course, they go through everything publicly because of the type of people and fame that they have,” Worland added.
He continued, “One thing I’ve really been strict on, or disciplined on, is to let them do what they have to do. I was over in New York with [Jackman] last month and he’s fine. He is going along well. He’s moving on with his life and I hope that Deb does as well.”
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Worland noted that he and Jackman have been best friends since meeting at elementary school in Australia and are godparents to each other’s first children. (Jackman and Furness, 69, share two adopted children, Oscar, 25, and Ava, 19.)
According to the radio personality, his main concern is the well-being of his friends’ two children.
“I just go to the kids and go, ‘What can we do to make sure that they’re going to get through this as well as possible?’” Worland said.
Worland’s comments come after Furness broke her silence on her separation from Jackman in a statement to the Daily Mail on Tuesday, May 27, after filing for divorce in New York City. The couple initially announced their separation in September 2023.
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“My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,” the Australian actress said.
“It’s a profound wound that cuts deep, however, I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us,” Furness continued. “This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage. I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose.”
“It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom,” Furness added.
Furness concluded her statement by saying that she has learned “that none of this is personal” and, “We are all on our individual journeys and I believe that the relationships in our lives are not random.”
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“We are drawn to people, we invite them in, in order to learn our lessons and to recognize and heal the broken parts of ourselves… I remain grateful,” Furness said.
Jackman has been linked to actress Sutton Foster, 50, since 2024 after they grew close while working together on the 11-month run of Broadway’s The Music Man, which began in 2022.
As their romance took center stage, rumors surfaced that Jackman and Foster’s cozy relationship was a factor in his split from Furness. A source exclusively told Us in November 2024 that “Sutton and Hugh’s relationship is the reason Hugh and Deb got divorced.”
The insider claimed, “A lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because both of them are so nice and great people. Everyone respected their privacy. But there was an affair and overlap.”
