Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, from an admired couple to living on the warpath (in the media)

BarcelonaThey say there are no breakups more violent than those of great loves. All that trust and deep connection that exists in the most stable and established relationships suddenly turns into a nuclear bomb when that stability ends, as the feeling that emerges is one of betrayal. The person you trusted the most no longer wants to be with you. The emotional collapse is superlative, and the reaction, obviously, will be as well. Surely, this feeling of betrayal will lead one of the two to attack where it hurts the most, which will lead the other to do the same, and thus, an unstoppable spiral of war will begin.

This is exactly what happens to a marriage considered exemplary and admirable in Hollywood for decades for its stability and lack of scandals, but which ended abruptly: that of Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness. The couple, who had been together for almost 30 years, ended their relationship in September 2023, but it's clear that there was still hope among them—or at least on the part of one of them...—that this was just a bump in their long road together, since they didn't officially file for divorce until this May. In fact, the legal divorce filing—filed in New York on the 23rd—has coincided with an exchange of very aggressive statements this week on both sides, which is a far cry from the extremely discreet public profile they had always maintained.

Talking about oneself (to talk about the other)

She was the first to show her teeth, which is not surprising if we take into account that she is the one who was deceived, the one who found out. by the press that her husband had fallen in love with a woman 20 years younger than her. "My heart and compassion go out to everyone who has gone through the traumatic path of betrayal," Furness told the Daily Mail. "It's a deep wound that has hurt me a lot. However, I believe in a higher power and that God or the universe, or whatever the force that guides us, is always working for us," added the 69-year-old actress. "This belief has helped me endure the breakup of a marriage of almost three decades. I have gained a lot of knowledge and wisdom from this experience. Even when we face apparent adversity, the experience eventually leads us to the good, to our true purpose," continued Furness, who owes no pseudo-spirituality in her statements, the first in which she has vent about the breakup.

"It can hurt, but, in the long run, coming back to yourself and living within your own integrity, values, and boundaries is liberating and free," she concluded in a statement in which she passive-aggressively talks more about her ex than about herself. Without abandoning her introspective tone, she also told the British tabloid that "we're all on our individual journeys" and believes "that the relationships people have aren't random." "We're drawn to people, we invite them in, to learn lessons and heal the broken parts of ourselves... I'm still grateful," she said after 27 years with Jackman, with whom she adopted two children, Oscar and Ava, now aged 19 and 25.

For him, noise is punishment

The actor, known for his role as Wolverine in the films of the saga X-Men, has not remained silent in the face of this avalanche of literature signed by his ex. However, he has spoken in a veiled manner, since he has not offered statements to some street reporters to deny anything, which would have been the bravest. Perhaps because he cannot, since the truth does not accompany him... After the Daily Mail interested in his reaction to Furness's remarks, Jackman, 56, has resorted to speaking through his entourage. The newspaper, anonymously citing people close to the case, reported that the actor felt "surprised" and "extremely disappointed" by Furness's comments. The source – who was fairly well-informed – also stated that "there was an unwritten agreement between the couple that she would not harshly criticize him in the press," something that, apparently, has not happened. "She knows she can't change anything," added the source, who must know Furness very well...

This media war, which no one would have imagined a long time ago, comes after the couple had reached a consensual divorce agreement without going through the courts. According to the Daily Mail, which has become the official gazette of this split, the actress officially filed for divorce almost two years after announcing their separation, which they did by mutual agreement and with a statement in which they expressed that this statement would be the last public statement they would make on the matter. According to reports, before the official divorce filing this month, the couple had reached a private financial agreement in which they had divided the fortune made during their marriage, valued at around 250 million dollars. "There was some back and forth regarding that financial agreement, but in the end she got what she thought she deserved," an anonymous source reportedly said.

Perhaps that's why Furness's words have disappointed the actor, since it cannot be ruled out that in practice they are revenge after he had paid her a fortune without putting too many obstacles in the way of media attention, but, when it came down to it, she took advantage of the opportunity to fill the void. That is to say, he has taken a big pinch and hasn't held his tongue for that. It is also true that, after media outlets around the world continued to publish rumors about the relationship between Jackman and his current girlfriend – actress Sutton Foster, with whom he was castmates for two years on Broadway—when he was still sleeping in the marital bed—perhaps the Australian actor deserves some revenge served cold. But I'll leave that to your judgment... From that first media drama, in which Deborra suffered in silence while everyone else talked, we've moved on to the current media drama, in which she's collecting from her ex and also speaking out. Seen as a whole, perhaps everything is fairer than it might seem.