Opinion: New Hugh and Deborra-Lee Split Rumor Hits Close to Home

Ladies, I stand with Deborra-Lee Furness. 

Hugh Jackman’s speculated romantic involvement with his co-star Sutton Foster has been the subject of much gossip, with some suggesting it was Broadway’s worst-kept secret. Currently, the rumor mill is once again abuzz with details surrounding this alleged relationship.

According to reports, not only is Sutton Foster, who is 49 years old, the object of affection for Deb’s former spouse, Hugh Jackman, but even his close friends, the renowned Hollywood couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, were said to be privy to this relationship and chose to keep it under wraps.

A source told RadarOnline that Deb was ‘seething with rage over being the last to know’. And, if that’s true, who can blame her?

It’s Deb I want to focus on, ladies, because if there were ever a time for women to stand in solidarity with each other, it is now.

Assuming the rumors hold some truth, the scenario is quite straightforward – your ex-partner seems to have swiftly moved on with a coworker, and astonishingly, the news was common knowledge among your social circle.

And worse than that, they chose not to tell you.

Not only have you been betrayed by the man you love, but by your close friends, too. It’s the ultimate humiliation, a slap in the face, another betrayal. And it makes my blood boil.

If I were in Deb’s shoes, the question I’d be asking is: ‘Well, who else knew?’

They say ignorance is bliss, but I’m a firm believer that knowledge is power. I’ve always insisted partners and friends tell me the truth, even if it’s going to hurt. I’d rather know than not. When I’m armed with the facts, I can act accordingly. 

I don’t want there to be silent pity or hushed voices when I walk into a room. Spare me that, at least. I’d hope my husband of three decades and our mutual friends would respect me enough to be honest.

But, if the rumours are to be believed, Deb didn’t get that. Not only does it sound as though half of their A-list mates apparently knew about Hugh’s romance, but I’m guessing so did the cast of The Music Man.

So Hollywood knew (allegedly). Broadway knew (allegedly). Who else?

Now, let me be clear: I’m not suggesting I know the facts here. The source is RadarOnline, not The New York Times.

I don’t know if there’s any truth to the rumour that Deb was ‘the last to know’. All I know is that in ordinary lives – far away from Hollywood – this kind of thing happens all the time. And it’s heartbreaking. You feel like a bloody fool. It’s why the story hit me like a gut punch.

For now, let’s look at the possibility of Deb being the last to know. I know a pretty famous actor who told me he wasn’t surprised when he heard the rumours.

‘The close-knit environment of a theatre production means the cast get to know each other very well,’ he tells me. 

‘They live in this cocooned bubble and everyone gets pretty intimate with each other. It would be safe to say cast members would have known about the relationship.’

Ouch. I don’t think there are many women reading this who wouldn’t be feeling Deb’s pain.

With their 13-year age difference, surely this was something Deb has feared, that her handsome ‘toyboy’ husband, Australia’s Mr Nice Guy, would eventually end up with someone younger.

As women, we feel this to our core. We all know a woman whose husband replaced her with someone younger, and many of us know a couple right now who have just split up, and he’s already moved on.

Would you tell Deb if she was your friend? Don’t you think she deserves to know? Do we have a right to know when our exes move on so quickly?

Yes, I think we do. There’s no worse feeling than being the last to know when your ex has found someone new – especially if you’ve only recently separated. I can’t imagine a friendship surviving knowing someone had that information but kept it secret from me.

Again, stand in Deb’s shoes for a moment. The actress and producer is a year away from turning 70. She loved a man for three decades, raised two children with him and, let’s be honest, put her career to the side so he could bask in the glory of his Hollywood success. Now, at retirement age, she’s been replaced by a woman almost 20 years her junior.

That’s heartbreaking enough.

The couple released a statement announcing their split in September last year and just over 12 months later, reports emerged that Hugh and Sutton were an item, having grown during the production of their musical The Music Man, which opened in February 2022.

Let’s call a spade a spade, ladies. The timeline kind of overlaps.

Don’t friends have an ethical responsibility to disclose information like this? After all, isn’t that the definition of friendship? If not, then what the hell is? Dinners and movie nights? Coffee dates and shopping? Is that the extent of it? No, thanks. If I had friends like that, I’d take my dog out for dinner instead – more loyalty with her.

If your friends don’t speak out, does that make them complicit?

And Ryan and Blake, hello? Did you honestly think no one would ask the question: did they know? You lot gush over each other constantly. How do you think you’d feel, Blake, if the shoe was on the other foot? That’d wipe the pearly white smile off your face, wouldn’t it?

As women, do we have a responsibility to tell our girlfriends the truth in situations like this? Men have the bro code. Surely the sisterhood can adopt something similar.

Come to think of it, were any of their mutual friends even remotely loyal to Deb?

This situation serves as a reminder of the importance of solidarity among women. We need to speak out.

I can see the argument for saying nothing and keeping out of it. Telling all can backfire. Maybe the scorned partner won’t believe you. Maybe the couple will get back together, come out stronger and suddenly you’re the bad guy.

But in Deb’s case, the marriage was already over when word started to spread Hugh had found somebody new. Surely someone ought to have told her – even an anonymous text?

Perhaps the rumour no one said anything to Deb tells you all you need to know about Hollywood and the fake, fickle people who inhabit it.

With friends like that, who needs enemies?