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Hugh Jackman on falling in love with wife Debora-lee: 'I knew two weeks in'

The couple, after 27 years of marriage, announced on Friday that they were separating.

Actor Hugh Jackman often gushed over his wife, Deborra-lee Jackman, including during visits to TODAY. 

The “Greatest Showman” star told TODAY that he knew soon after meeting the actress and producer that they would get married one day. Sadly, the couple announced Friday, Sept. 15, that they were separating after 27 years of marriage. They share two children, 23-year-old Oscar and 18-year-old Ava.

The couple were often arm-in-arm on red carpets throughout the years, and Hugh Jackman seemed to rarely hesitate to discuss their relationship in interviews.

“I knew two weeks in to meeting Deb that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives,” Hugh Jackman told Sunday TODAY’s Willie Geist in 2018.

"The Son" Red Carpet - 79th Venice International Film Festival
Australian actor Hugh Jackman and his wife Australian director Deborra-Lee Furness attend "The Son" red carpet at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2022 in Venice, Italy. Stefania D'Alessandro / WireImage

He met Deborra-lee Jackman, then Deborra-lee Furness, while on the set of Australian drama Corelli in 1995. Just four months later, he proposed.

“In the end, what do you want from your life partner? You want to be fully seen and you want to be able to fully see them for exactly who (they) really are. And Deb and I had that from the beginning,” said Hugh Jackman, also known as Wolverine to Marvel fans.

“She was the star. I had this major crush on her,” he told Ellen DeGeneres back in 2016. “Everyone did. The whole crew had a crush on her.” The couple got married about a year later.

Image: Hugh Jackman, Deborra Lee Furness, Ava Jackman, Oscar Jackman
From left to right, Oscar Jackman, actress Deborra-Lee Furness, Ava Jackman, and actor Hugh Jackman pose together at Hugh Jackman's star ceremony at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, in Los Angeles.Dan Steinberg / AP

The two adopted their two children, and have become advocates for adoption through Deborra-lee Jackman’s nonprofit, Hopeland.

They shared in a statement to People Friday that their journey is “shifting.”

“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 reads.

“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.”