Hugh Jackman celebrated his 55th birthday with some surprising company — his estranged wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.
“Thank you ALL for the birthday love!!! I’m reading your messages, seeing the special videos and experiencing all the feels 🥹,” Jackman, 55, captioned an Instagram pic at dinner at The Polo Bar in New York City on Thursday, October 12. A rep for the actor has confirmed to multiple outlets that Furness, 67, was among the guests at the restaurant with the actor.
Several of Jackman’s celebrity pals sent him birthday wishes in the post’s comments. “HAPPY BORN DAY!!!! May the universe keep blessing you!” wrote Michael B. Jordan, while director Dexter Fletcher commented, “Have a beautiful day, you wonderful man … Dx x.”
Jackman’s birthday celebration comes nearly one month after he and Furness announced they are separating after 27 years of marriage. “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,” they said in a joint September 15 statement. “Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”
The statement continued: “Our family has been and always will be 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 in all of our lives.” (The former couple are the adoptive parents of two kids, son Oscar, 23, and daughter Ava, 18.)
Jackman broke his silence days later. “It’s a difficult time,” he told NYC photographers in September 16 footage obtained by TMZ. “I appreciate your thoughts, thank you.”
The duo met in 1995 on the set of the Australian TV series Correlli and began dating shortly after. Following a brief breakup, Jackman and Furness tied the knot in 1996 and went on to adopt their children in 2000 and 2005.
Last month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the estranged couple had decided to split after growing apart. “Hugh and Deb just reached a point where they were more like best friends,” the insider shared. “There was no drama or fighting — not that anyone is aware of, anyway.”
Despite there being no bad blood between the two, the source noted that the separation has been “an extremely tricky and gut-wrenching process” so far. “The [divorce] filing will be formalized in due course, but before that happens, their aim is to come to an agreement,” the insider added. “They’re determined to [do this] as amicably as possible.”
Amid the breakup news, Jackman stepped out for a night of fun with Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Taylor Swift and more stars at the Kansas City Chiefs’ and the New York Jets game at MetLife Stadium on October 1.
Another source also confirmed to Us that Jackman is in the “early stages” of writing a memoir full of “big bombshells.” According to the insider, “The content will be Hugh speaking about his life. He’ll be opening up about his life like never before.”
