Deborra-Lee Furness opens up on frustration of being known as ‘Mrs Jackman’

She is the wife of Hollywood superstar Hugh Jackman, but Australian actress Deborra-Lee Furness has enjoyed a successful career in her own right, having met The Greatest Showman star on the set of TV drama Corelli in 1995.

Now though, the 64-year-old, who shares two children with Hugh, has opened up about the frustration of being known as ‘Mrs Hugh Jackman’ in an interview with Stellar magazine. Deborra-Lee was also chosen as the cover star of the most recent edition of the magazine, which came out on Sunday.

“Sometimes it’s tricky. People put you in a box and have an idea of who you are,” she told Stellar. “It’s annoying; I don’t like that. The thing about fame that’s challenging is that before, you could meet someone and the joy of getting to know [them] didn’t come with preconceptions that you’re a celebrity or you’re rich.

“I want to be judged for my acting, for my directing. I just want to be seen for who I am. I don’t want to be judged as ‘Mrs Jackman’.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAuOUbwAcA3/

It comes just weeks after the loved-up couple celebrated their wedding anniversary. The 51-year-old actor shared a sweet message on social media in April as the couple marked an incredible 24 years of married bliss. Hugh also shared a throwback photo of the couple, showing them dressed up for a glitzy night out during their younger days.

“These 24 years have been the best of my life!” Hugh wrote on Instagram. “And, as far as I can see, we keep getting better. I love you Debs with every fiber [sic] of my soul. Happy anniversary.”

The showbiz couple met in 1995 on the set of Australian drama Corelli and tied the knot just one year later on April 11, 1996. Hugh and Deb, 64, share children Oscar, 19, and Ava, 14.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-10q2BDURV/

Hugh regularly pays tribute to his wife and last year, during his string of live shows, the X-Men actor gushed about Deborra on stage as he told fans that spending his life with the actress was one of the few things he has “known for sure” throughout his life.

“I knew very early on in our relationship we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. I could feel it,” he told the crowd in Brisbane, before revealing that he almost didn’t make the cut as Wolverine in X-Men.

“I went home to Deb and started whinging about everything… And she listened to me very patiently for about an hour and finally she just said, ‘Listen, I think you have just got to trust yourself. You are worrying way too much about what everything else is thinking. Just go back to the character, focus on that, trust your instinct. You’ve got this.'”