Their love story was one of the most enviable in Hollywood, so when news broke that Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness were calling it quits after 27 years of marriage, the world was left reeling.
But as the dust settles, an insider spills to New Idea the true nature of the relationship that was shielded from the public eye, saying “it was a slow dissolve into a strange co-dependent friendship that was doing more harm than good.”
They confide that, as the pair waited for their daughter Ava to turn 18 (son Oscar is 23) before putting the separation into action, they were quietly preparing for what was to come.
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“Both Hugh and Deb have been working on themselves and rebuilding for the next stage in their lives.”
They’ve already embarked on moving forward, with Deb giving her first radio interview to Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O, where the 67-year-old seemed genuinely moved by their concern, saying: “I really, really appreciate it.”
And, naturally, this journey does open up the possibility of fresh romance.
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For Hugh, friends think this could happen sooner rather than later.
“Hugh likes being married and having a special partner,” says one insider.
“He wouldn’t have stayed so long with Deb if he didn’t have that with her.”
Some are already half-joking to the 54-year-old X-Men star that he’s found himself single at a time when many of his A-list contemporaries are also ready to mingle.
“There’s everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Sofía Vergara, even Reese [Witherspoon] and Charlize [Theron],” adds the source.
“There’s a freeway of ladies lined up around the block to date him.”
Gentleman Hugh isn’t ready to get involved so soon and is politely rebuffing any of his mates’ suggestions at the moment as he focuses on self-care.
He’s been posting images of nature walks on his social media, promoting causes dear to his heart like the Global Citizen Festival in New York, and taking himself on bicycle rides around the Big Apple.
But this doesn’t mean there won’t come a day when he’s ready to open his heart to someone new.
“Finding love again is one of his biggest priorities,” a friend confides.
“Everyone expects Hugh will remarry fairly quickly. He’s such a soft-hearted person and is likely to fall for the first girl who catches his eye.”
And they admit that, in his true good-guy way, Hugh is already considering the feelings of the person who’ll bewitch him.
“He’s taken a lot of time to really work on what he wants from the next chapter in his life, and he owes it to whoever he starts dating to be the best man he can possibly be.”
Whenever it’s the right time for that to happen, Hugh’s support network will be there to celebrate along with him, and mark the end of a painful period for the Oscar-nominated star.
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