Just one month ago, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster were dressed to the nines and grinning from ear to ear as they made their Met Gala debut as a couple. It hasn’t taken long for the sheen to wear off their romance, though, as insiders reveal the public fallout of Hugh’s bitter divorce from Deborra-lee Furness is really starting to take a toll.
“Sutton tries to ignore it, but some of the trolls and criticism online get the better of her,” a source tells Woman’s Day.
“She struggles with being branded a ‘homewrecker’, so does Hugh, but this is a whole new world for Sutton. She’s never been ‘hated’ like this.”
The Younger actress, 51, appeared downcast while out in New York with Hugh, 57, last week, and at certain points during their outing, the worried-looking pair seemed deep in an intense discussion.
The strained sighting comes after Sutton confessed she’s been struggling, saying, “I’ve been a leading lady for a long time … but often I feel really alone.”
‘PITTED AGAINST EACH OTHER’
In what some perceived as a nod towards her tense situation with Hugh’s ex Deb, Sutton also insisted, “Women of power can actually support each other, and we don’t have to be pitted against each other.”
Broadway enthusiasts Hugh and Sutton have been friends since 2008, but the romance rumours didn’t start until 2024 – after he’d separated from Deb and Sutton had filed for divorce from second husband, Ted Griffin. However, suspicions that there was a relationship overlap have never quite gone away, and insiders say the situation has become too much for Sutton.
“She loves Hugh, but she was totally naive about what came with that,” the source says. “Nothing could have prepared her.
“She worries she could be stuck with this reputation forever, regardless of whether or not she becomes Mrs Jackman.”
Others say that 16 months into their romance, Sutton is feeling the pressure of being everything to Hugh – life partner, creative consultant and even his emotional rock!
According to sources, it’s a role the “independent” actress – who has nine-year-old daughter Emily to think about – feels she may not be cut out for.
“He needs… someone shielding him from conflict,” an insider revealed to gossip columnist Rob Shuter on his Substack.
“The deeper this relationship gets, the more she feels responsible for managing his feelings, his image and the chaos surrounding him.”
In another twist, last week a post by gossip site Deux Moi, in which they questioned if the couple were married, has swiftly been deleted from social media.
HOLDING ONTO RESENTMENT?
Meanwhile, Deb’s pointed barbs seem to have only exacerbated the strain on Hugh and Sutton. A year after her bombshell statement about their divorce being a “traumatic journey of betrayal”, the Aussie actress, 70, stoked the fire when she made a cryptic comment on social media agreeing that you “cannot trust anybody, ever”.
A second source tells Woman’s Day, “It’s very apparent to Hugh that Deb is still holding onto a lot of resentment, which he finds unfortunate and totally unnecessary.
“All he wants is to move on with his life and maintain a cordial relationship with Deb, but she’s making it impossible.”
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