Forget Hallmark movies.
If you want to see the true definition of real love, look to Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furnesses’s relationship.
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The pair have been together for 25 years, despite a few challenges, such as their 13-year age gap and infertility struggles.
Suffice to say, this is one couple you want to know. So come learn more about their perfectly wholesome relationship!
How They Met:
They met in 1995 on the set of the Australian TV series, Correlli .
This was a few years before Hugh became an international star thanks to the X-Men series. Meanwhile, Deb was already a big name. As a result, Hugh was nervous around the leading lady.
“Deb, she was a big star. I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I’ll never forget,” he recalled to *People*.
“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.’ I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl,’” he said .
How They Got Together:
Despite Hugh having massive feelings for Deb (same with other cast members), he wasn’t sure she would ever feel the same.
Thankfully, that perception changed when he invited her and some friends over for dinner at his place. She had asked him why he was ignoring her.
This prompted the actor to come clean about his feelings.
To his surprise, she actually liked him, too. “She goes, ‘Oh? Because I’ve got a crush on you too.’ I never in a million years thought she reciprocated,” he once said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show .
Deb’s Broken Rule:
If anyone knows how hard it is to resist Hugh’s charm, it’s Deb. She dated him despite the New Year’s resolution she made for herself!
She said, “I am not dating any actors, and definitely not under 30,” she told the Aussies in Hollywood podcast .
Wedding Bells:
Hugh proposed after four months of dating. This came after a bit of a rocky start, as Deb tried to break up with the actor after three weeks of dating. Thankfully, he was able to talk her out of it.
They pair got married in 1996 and have been together ever since.
Their Struggles:
While their 13-year age gap couldn’t stop their love, it did cause problems once they tried to have kids when Deb was 40.
“Until you go through it, you realize [infertility is] not talked about a lot.… And it [was] a difficult time,” Jackman told Katie Couric .
Sadly, this long battle resulted in two miscarriages while undergoing IVF.
The emotional and physical toll this took on the couple led them to adoption. They adopted a boy and a girl, Oscar Maximillian and Ava Eliot. According to Hugh, adoption was always on the table for them.
They also knew it was important to adopt mixed-raced children.
“Our motivation behind adopting was, ‘Where is the need?’ ” Jackman told People . “And we just knew from talking with people in that space, when we were looking around, that the biggest need is in mixed-race kids.”
Their Secret to Marriage:
Like a very smart man, Hugh lives by the slogan, “Happy wife, happy life.”
The Logan actor also never stops gushing about his wife. For their 24th wedding anniversary, he wrote on Instagram, “These 24 years have been the best of my life! And, as far as I can see, we keep getting better.”
Deb returns the favor by openly loving on her hubby.
The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole actress told Us Weekly : “He makes me laugh. He’s hilarious. Not as funny as me, but he’s good. I give him all his best material!”
These two are definitely a match made in heaven.
