Hugh Jackman: Deborra Lee-Furness steps out with Robbie Williams for first time since split rumours explode

Deborra-Lee Furness was the picture of cool and casual-chic in her first public appearance since the rumour mill went into overdrive drawing conclusions about her split from her husband of 27 years, Hugh Jackman.

Furness stepped out in New York City on Wednesday to support her friend Robbie Williams at the premier of his biopic Better Man.

The 68-year-old walked the red carpet at Metrograph Theatre in an all-black ensemble, glowing and fresh faced as she smiled for photos with Williams — dressed in a butter yellow suit jacket.

It was the actor and producer’s first red carpet appearance since some subtle, but telling, social media activity ramped up speculation about the reason for her separation from fellow Australian expat Jackman.

Furness set tongues wagging when she ‘liked’ a video from gossip blogger Tasha Lustig accusing Jackman of blindsiding his wife by “running off” with his “mistress”, Broadway co-star Sutton Foster.

Adding fuel to the fire, Furness’ close friend, British media personality Amanda de Cadenet commented on the post to confirm the allegations about the 56-year-old actor’s infidelity.

“You are on point with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to have her glow up any moment fyi!” Cadenet wrote.

Lustig’s post also claimed the Wolverine actor was planning a “soft launch” of his new relationship with Foster, with whom he starred alongside in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man.

Jackman and Foster began work shopping The Music Man in 2020 in which they reprised the roles of Professor Harold Hill, a travelling con man, and Marian Paroo, a straight-laced small-town librarian and music teacher he tries to woo.

The production premiered in February 2022 and closed in January 2023. Both actors were married to other people during the almost year-long run, but have since separated.

Jackman and Furness announced their separation in September 2023, calling time on “almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage”. The couple said they had decided to “pursue out individual growth”.

A year later, Foster, 49, filed for divorce from her husband of 10 years, screenwriter Ted Griffin.

According to insiders who have spoken to a number of outlets, Jackson and Foster’s on-and-off-stage romance was “Broadway’s worst-kept secret”, but one that was kept because “both of them are so nice and great people”.

A source close to Foster told US Weekly that “a lot of people on Broadway knew” about the alleged affair, but “everyone respected their privacy”.

Another source told Daily Mail in October that Furness had “her suspicions” about Jackman’s fidelity when he began working on the shw, but was ultimately “blindsided” when she found out about the affair.

While the reports of Jackman and Foster’s supposed relationship — which neither they nor their exes have publicly commented on — may be surprising to fans, their romance was allegedly an “open secret on Broadway”.

InTouch Magazine first linked the pair in December 2023, when the Australian was reportedly “romancing” his Tony-winning co-star. An insider told the magazine Jackman was “besotted” with Sutton “from the moment he met her”.

The actors did little to hide their chemistry and affection for each other throughout the production or when speaking about the other to the media. Jackman repeatedly called Foster “the best” at her job, while Foster mooned over finding a close “friend” in Jackman.

A number of sources have told Page Six the couple are “in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together”.