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Hugh Jackman's rare admission about 'changed' relationship with adopted children

The star keeps his family life very private


hugh jackman changed parent
Rachel Avery
Homes Editor
September 8, 2022
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Hugh Jackman, 53, has made a very rare comment about his "changed" relationship with his son and daughter, Oscar and Ava.

SEE: Inside Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness' palatial Hamptons home they built from scratch

The actor, who is starring in Florian Zeller's new film The Son spoke out at a press conference, and his comments were reported by The Guardian.

WATCH: Hugh Jackman dances with wife Deborra 

The father-of-two said: "I think for many, many years, as a parent the job was to appear strong and dependable and never worried, and I don’t want to burden my child, but certainly since this movie I've changed my approach.

"I share my vulnerabilities more with my 17 and 22-year-olds, and I see their relief when I do. So hopefully the movie does start conversations and reminds us to never worry alone, that we're all in the same boat. Mental health is a crisis everywhere in the world. No one is immune to it."

hugh jackman children

Hugh and Deborra have adopted two children 

Hugh and his wife Deborra-Lee Furnes didn't have an easy road to parenthood, with Deborra having suffered two miscarriages. The pair decided to adopt instead of proceeding to try and conceive naturally, and in 2000 they adopted their son and in 2005 their daughter joined the family.

MORE: 8 emotional celebrity adoption stories: from Saira Khan to Angelina Jolie

PHOTOS: Celebrity kids' playdates: the surprising friendships you didn't know existed

Speaking to The Herald Sun, Hugh revealed: "I don’t think of them as adopted – they're our children. Deb and I are believers in … I suppose you could call it destiny. We feel things happened the way they are meant to. Obviously, biologically wasn’t the way we were meant to have children. Now, as we go through life together, sure there are challenges, but everyone’s in the right place with the right people. It sounds airy-fairy, but it's something we feel very deeply."

hugh jackman dogs

Hugh Jackman is a family man 

The Greatest Showman star has previously spoken out about his son becoming a grown up: "He's at a point in his life where he doesn't think he should be following his father's advice anymore. Anytime I ask him to do something or listen to me, he just says, 'I'm an adult now. I can do what I want'."

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