Photos Reveal Hugh Jackman's 17-Year Connection with New Girlfriend Sutton Foster Amid Nasty Divorce

Resurfaced photos show that Hugh Jackman and his new girlfriend Sutton Foster were long-time friends for almost two decades before going public with their romance in January.

The couple’s relationship is currently under the spotlight amid the Aussie actor’s messy divorce from wife Deborra-Lee Furness.

One picture taken from way back in December 2008 captured the pair happily posing together at The Broadway Theatre in New York City as they attended the Shrek musical.

Hugh, 56, and fellow Broadway star Sutton, 50, beamed from ear-to-ear as they cuddled up together, 16 years before they began dating.

They also put on a very intimate display when they publicly danced together at The 68th Annual Tony Awards in New York in June 2014.

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Resurfaced photos show that Hugh Jackman and his new girlfriend Sutton Foster were long-time friends for almost two decades before going public with their romance in January. Pictured together in 2008

They also put on a very intimate display when they publicly danced together at The 68th Annual Tony Awards in New York in June 2014

The pair were seen leaning into each other as they performed an elegant waltz for fellow A-list guests.

During the dance, they seemed to share intense chemistry, years before their friendship blossomed into a romance.

This week Hugh shared a very telling post after his ex-wife Deborra-Lee broke her silence on her divorce from her husband of 27 years.

The Greatest Showman star took to social media on Wednesday to post a clip of him nailing a skipping routine in his show Hugh Jackman Live From New York With Love, which he’s performing at Radio City Music Hall.

However, it was the clip’s chosen background track – NSYNC’s Bye Bye Bye – that raised eyebrows considering the recent divorce developments.

The video, which was posted to his 34.1 million followers, is clearly a reference to Deadpool & Wolverine, the 2024 movie that he filmed with Ryan Reynolds which features the hit song.

However the timing of the post – as well as its one word caption of ‘Finally’ – made it all the more cryptic.

The video was posted the same day that Deborra-Lee took a swipe at her estranged husband amid the flurry of rumours that he cheated on her with his current girlfriend Sutton.

During the dance, the pair seemed to share chemistry, years before their friendship blossomed into a romance

Hugh and Sutton confirmed their relationship in early January after stepping out for a romantic date night in Los Angeles

Following her decision to officially file for divorce from the Les Miserables star two years after announcing their separation, the Australian actress, 69, addressed her heartbreak in an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com.

‘My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,’ she said. ‘It’s a profound wound that cuts deep, however I believe in a higher power and that God/the universe, whatever you relate to as your guidance, is always working FOR us,’ she said.

She continued, ‘This belief has helped me navigate the breakdown of an almost three-decade marriage. I have gained much knowledge and wisdom through this experience. Even when we are presented with apparent adversity, it is leading us to our greatest good, our true purpose.

‘It can hurt, but in the long run, returning to yourself and living within your own integrity, values and boundaries is liberation and freedom.’

Despite Hugh and Sutton only going public with their relationship in January, rumours are already circulating that public scrutiny is beginning to come between the couple.

‘It’s always hard dating in the public eye… but when you add their whole backstory and what they’ve put on the line as far as their reputations, the pressure rises,’ an insider recently told Life and Style magazine.

They added the pair were finding it challenging to keep the romance alive due to work commitments, including Hugh spending several months in Ireland to film a movie.

‘Being apart for an extended period of time can be tough on any couple. There’s a lot of harsh judgement about them online,’ the source said.

However, the couple, who were first romantically linked in October last year, are said to be ‘madly in love’, according to US Weekly.

They ran in the same theatre circles for years, but only became friends after working together on the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man while they were both with their former partners.

The pair confirmed their relationship in early January after stepping out for a romantic date night in Los Angeles.