Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness' Relationship Timeline

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness are separating after 27 years of marriage

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness are going their separate ways.

The couple announced the amicable ending of their marriage in a statement shared exclusively with PEOPLE in September 2023.

"We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth," the statement read. The pair added that their family is their "highest priority" and requested privacy as they navigate "this transition in all of our lives."

The Greatest Showman star first met his future wife on the set of the Australian TV show Correlli and immediately knew she was the one.

"I knew very early, I knew before Deb knew. Even when she tried to break up with me, I knew," he later recalled. "She kind of [broke up with me], a little bit. Early on, three weeks in. I managed to talk her out of it, thank God. I'm a very indecisive person, Deb really knows this about me. I can count on my hand the amount of times in my life anything has felt that clear to me, and when it happens it's such a relief for me."

Jackman added, "I just knew 100 percent, I even knew when she was trying to work out reasons to break up with me."

After getting married in April 1996, the pair welcomed two children together, a son, Oscar, and a daughter, Ava.

From their fateful first meeting and their many anniversary celebrations to their eventual split, here is a complete timeline of Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness' relationship.

1995: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness meet on the set of Correlli and get engaged

Jackman and Furness were first introduced as costars on the Australian show Correlli. It was Jackman's first role out of drama school, and Furness, who is 13 years his senior, was a "big star" at the time. As Jackman later recounted in an interview with PEOPLE, there was an immediate connection.

"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,' " the actor said. "I remember thinking, 'I like this girl.' "

Despite his initial interest, it took Jackman a few weeks before he was ready to tell Furness how he felt about her. "Deb and I were already best friends, and I realized I've got a crush on my leading lady," he explained. "This is the thing you do not do. It's unprofessional and embarrassing."

Jackman eventually admitted his feeling at a dinner party and Furness felt the same way.

Four months later, Jackman felt so confident in their relationship that he asked Furness to marry him. As he told Today in 2018, "I knew two weeks into meeting Deb that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives."

April 11, 1996: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness get married

Less than a year after they met, Jackman and Furness said "I do" on April 11, 1996, at a church outside of Melbourne, Australia. Over the years, the couple have shared photos from their wedding day on social media to honor their many anniversaries.

2000: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness adopt son Oscar

In 2000, Jackman and Furness adopted their son Oscar. Of their decision to adopt, Jackman later said it was a "no-brainer."

"I remember saying to [Furness], 'We were always going to adopt — let's just adopt now,' " Jackman told PEOPLE in 2017. "Our motivation behind adopting was, 'Where is the need?' "

July 2005: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness adopt daughter Ava

Five years later, Jackman and Furness became parents for a second time when they adopted their daughter Ava.

Furness later opened up to PEOPLE about how important it was for her and Jackman to embrace their children's cultural differences.

"We completely embrace the ancestors and the extended family; they're family to us. And it's in there, even though it's generational. It may be subtle, but it's in there," she said.

June 10, 2012: Deborra-lee Furness surprises Hugh Jackman on stage at the Tony Awards

At the 2012 Tony Awards, Furness surprised her husband by presenting a special Tony award to him for his work on Broadway as both a performer and a humanitarian.

Before the event, the pair had been apart for four months due to Jackman's filming commitments, and Jackman was visibly emotional when accepting the award. "Why any of this means anything, that is because my incredible wife and my kids support me," Jackman said during his acceptance speech.

To Furness, he added, "I love you with all my heart. I know how much you hate public speaking. This is probably the greatest thing you've ever done for me."

February 24, 2013: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness attend the Oscars together

Jackman was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Les Misérables in February 2013, and he took Furness to the ceremony as his date. Furness wore a sleek black suit and matching necklace, while Jackman donned a tuxedo.

February 1, 2016: Hugh Jackman says Deborra-lee Furness is "the greatest thing that ever happened to me"

During a February 2016 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jackman had nothing but praise for his wife, telling host Ellen DeGeneres that their relationship only "gets better and better" with time.

"She's the greatest thing that ever happened to me," he said. "I'm kind of really grateful that I met her before anything kind of happened ... Everything that's happened in my career and onscreen, offscreen, we've always done it together."

April 11, 2016: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness celebrate their 20th anniversary

Furness and Jackman celebrated a major milestone two months later: their 20th wedding anniversary. "20 years ago on this day," Jackman captioned a black-and-white throwback photo from their wedding on Instagram.

Ahead of their anniversary, Jackman shared his life motto during an appearance on the Australian morning show Sunrise. "The most important one is drummed into me every day. 'Happy wife, happy life.' That's the slogan. We're about to celebrate our 20th," he said.

June 5, 2017: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness reveal the secret to their long-lasting relationship

While attending the National Night of Laughter and Song event in June 2017, Jackman and Furness opened up about the secret to their enduring marriage. "We meditate together," Furness told PEOPLE. "And sometimes we have friends over to do it, too. It's a lovely Sunday-morning thing. Everyone comes over, and then we have breakfast."

April 2018: Hugh Jackman calls Deborra-lee Furness his "greatest gift" on their 22nd anniversary

To celebrate 22 years of marriage, Jackman penned a touching tribute to Furness on Twitter, writing, "I believe in life we need to see and truly be seen by the most important people in our lives. Deb, from day one, we had that."

He continued, "22 years later ... it only gets deeper. You and the kids are the greatest gift I will ever receive. I love you a gazillion times around the world." The post also included a photo of the couple smiling on a boat.

October 12, 2018: Deborra-lee Furness celebrates Hugh Jackman's 50th birthday

Later that year, Furness celebrated Jackman's 50th birthday — although her plans for the big day had to be postponed.

"I had a big party planned and then the film he's working on informed me that he was working until 3 in the morning so I had to reschedule the whole party," she told PEOPLE. "We had a family gathering and then party's next week. We'll just extend the celebrations."

Furness also revealed what she gifted Jackman, sharing, "I actually made him a beautiful photo book all about his whole life right from when he was a kid and I reached out to all these directors and these kids he grew up with."

April 10, 2019: Hugh Jackman says "intimacy" is the key to his long marriage with Deborra-lee Furness

Ahead of the couple's 23rd anniversary, Jackman discussed what makes his and Furness' marriage work during an interview with PEOPLE. "Without a doubt, [intimacy] is the most important thing," he explained. "People talk about intimacy and assume that means in the bedroom. Of course it is that, but really, intimacy is being able to share everything together — good, bad, fears, successes."

He added, "Deb and I had that from the beginning. We've always been completely ourselves with each other."

June 30, 2019: Hugh Jackman serenades Deborra-lee Furness with their wedding song

During the last stop of his one-man show "The Man. The Music. The Show," Jackman surprised both the audience and Furness when he serenaded his wife with their wedding song.

In videos obtained by Page Six, the Broadway star can be seen coming down from the stage and singing Frank Sinatra's "All The Way" directly to Furness at her seat in the audience.

March 11, 2020: Hugh Jackman says he and Deborra-lee Furness "reset" their marriage

In March 2020, Jackman told PEOPLE that he was more in love with his wife than ever, noting that he and Furness "always make time for each other."

"We're always learning and humans change so you have to, even though we've been together 25 years, you gotta reset all the time," he continued. "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."

April 11, 2021: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness celebrate 25 years of marriage

To honor their silver anniversary, Jackman posted another wedding photo on Instagram and penned an emotional message to Furness in the caption.

"Being married to you Deb is as natural as breathing. From nearly the moment we met ... I knew our destiny was to be together," he wrote. "In our 25 years - our love has only grown deeper. The fun, excitement and adventure more exhilarating; the learning even greater. I'm forever grateful to share our love, our life - and, our family together. We've only just begun. Deb, I love you with all my heart!"

August 19, 2021: Hugh Jackman says marriage with Deborra-lee Furness doesn't require much work

A few months after they celebrated their 25th anniversary, Jackman opened up about his marriage during an appearance on the Today show.

"People often say, 'Oh my god, marriage is so much work.' There are some things you gotta live by, but it doesn't feel like that," he said. "It's been one of the best things in my life."

He also offered Furness some praise, saying, "Deb is the lightest, most optimistic person I've ever met in my life."

November 30, 2021: Hugh Jackman celebrates Deborra-lee Furness' birthday with a sweet tribute

Furness turned 66 years old on Nov. 30, 2021, and Jackman was happy to honor her on Instagram. The actor shared a photo of the two smiling together and captioned it, "It's my incredible wife's birthday. Not sure if I can declare a public holiday!!! But it feels like we should."

He continued, "There's no one on this planet I know who celebrates every moment of every day like her. Deb, you are everything to me. I love you. Happy birthday!"

February 10, 2022: Deborra-lee Furness reveals she helps Hugh Jackman with his lines

As Jackman prepared for the 2022 production of The Music Man on Broadway, Furness revealed to PEOPLE that she helped her husband learn his lines.

"We do everything together," she said, noting that she didn't do the "tap dancing."

She joked that she could likely pull off the role herself — but only if she really had to. "You'd have to push me onto the stage," she added.

April 11, 2022: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness celebrate their 26th anniversary

Two months later, Jackman celebrated his wife again, this time for their 26th anniversary. He captioned a photo of him and Furness cuddling up to each other on the beach, "Today I celebrate 26 years of marriage to my extraordinary wife. Every single day is filled with so much laughter, joy and backgammon!!!! Deb you light up my life. I love you with all my heart!"

December 22, 2022: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness celebrate the holidays with a dance routine

Ahead of the 2022 holidays, Jackman and Furness hilariously showed off their dance moves on Instagram. The couple were all smiles as they performed a choreographed dance routine to Bruno Mars' song "Finesse" in front of their Christmas tree and a cardboard cutout of Ryan Reynolds from his movie Spirited. Jackman captioned the sweet video, "Deb & I are dancing into the holidays! Thank you to Mishay and Pedro for the steps and patience."

April 11, 2023: Hugh Jackman celebrates his 27th wedding anniversary with Deborra-lee Furness

Jackman marked his and Furness' 27th wedding anniversary by sharing a sweet photo of the pair posing together on Instagram. "I love you so much. Together we have created a beautiful family. And life," he wrote in the caption.

The actor continued, "Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage and loyalty is an incredible gift to me. I love you with all my heart."

May 1, 2023: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness attend the Met Gala

Jackman and Furness stepped out for the 2023 Met Gala in New York City, where they were photographed smiling with their arms around each other. The pair wore coordinating black ensembles, with Jackman in a classic tux and his wife in an elegant, mosaic-designed gown.

September 15, 2023: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness announce they're separating

In a statement to PEOPLE, Jackman and Furness announced they are amicably ending their marriage after 27 years.

"We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth," the statement read.

"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 message concluded: "This is the sole statement either of us will make."

October 12, 2023: Deborra-lee Furness celebrates Hugh Jackman's 55th birthday

Despite their decision to separate, Furness joined Jackman at his 55th birthday celebration. She, along with the actor's family and close friends, attended a dinner for Jackman at Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar in New York City.

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