Hugh Jackman Says Lockdown Brought Him ‘Closer’ to Wife Deborra-Lee Furness
Hugh Jackman and wife Deborra-lee Furness have made the most of their isolated time together.
The 51-year-old actor — who received an Emmy nomination on Tuesday for his performance in the HBO movie Bad Education — shared with Extra that being under lockdown with his wife during the pandemic has brought the two of them undeniably “closer.” The couple married in 1996 and share two children, Oscar, 20, and Ava, 15.
“Literally, my wife is dancing behind the camera as we speak,” Jackman said with a laugh. “We were just saying the other day — we have never spent this much time together. But having this time without either of us working, being with the family … we’ve had this opportunity to be together, and the results are in: closer.”
Back in March, Jackman told PEOPLE that he and Furness, 64, are sure to “make time for each other,” and that they are “always learning” from one another.
“We’re always learning, and humans change so you have to; even though we’ve been together 25 years, you’ve got to reset all the time,” he said at the time. “I’m always reeling in how funny she is and how amazing she is and how smart she is. The longer it goes on the better it gets.”
The Greatest Showman actor previously told PEOPLE about meeting his longtime love and how their relationship initially began.
“My first job out of drama school — it was a massive break for me. I was really scared,” Jackman said about starring on the Australian TV series Correlli. “Deb, she was a big star. I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I’ll never forget: she took off her seatbelt and she turned around and put out her hand and took off her sunglasses and said, ‘Hi, I’m Deborra-lee Furness, nice to meet you.’”
He added: “I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl.’ “
Six weeks later, Jackman worked up the courage to ask her out. After avoiding her for a week, Furness confronted Jackman during a dinner party with friends.
“I invited 20 people [over for dinner]. She came over and I said, ‘Deb, give me a hand with the dessert,'” he recalled. “She said, ‘I noticed you haven’t talked to me in like a week, what’s going on?’ I said, ‘I got a crush on you. I’ll get over it, I’m sorry.’ She goes, ‘Oh? Because I’ve got a crush on you too.’ I never in a million years thought she reciprocated.”
In April, the X-Men actor posted a heartfelt message on Instagram to celebrate his 24th wedding anniversary, writing that “these 24 years have been the best of my life!” Jackman added: “And, as far as I can see, we keep getting better. I love you Debs with every fiber of my soul. Happy anniversary.”
