After 27 years of marriage, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness have chosen to part ways. On Friday, September 15, they published an exclusive statement with PEOPLE magazine in which they announced their separation. The choice was made with “gratitude, love, and kindness” and was one that all parties agreed upon.

“We are grateful to have had almost three decades of a lovely, loving marriage as husband and wife. The pair said in a statement that “family has been and always will be our highest priority” and that “our journey is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

They continued, “We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives,” before announcing that this will be the last statement the former couple issues addressing their split. Hugh and Deborra-lee both affixed their signatures to the exclusive statement.

On the set of Correlli, an Australian TV series in which they both had roles, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness were acquainted for the first time in 1995. Hugh had a modest part at the time because he was just beginning his acting career. Deborra-lee, who was already a well-known actress, was handed the major role.

He remembered being picked up in a car with Deborra-lee in the front seat in a 2017 interview with PEOPLE. He liked her immediately away once she introduced herself. They started dating immediately after, and they fell in love quickly despite the fact that she was 13 years older than him.

They got married on April 11, 1996, as a result of their love. Hugh Jackman made her engagement ring and had the Sanskrit phrase “Om paramar mainamar,” which means “we dedicate our union to a greater source,” engraved on their wedding bands. They exchanged vows at St. John’s in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak, Victoria.

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness developed become one of Hollywood’s most adored couples over the course of the following 27 years. Following two losses and unsuccessful IVF procedures, the couple adopted two children, son Oscar Maximilian Jackman (born May 2000) and daughter Ava Eliot Jackman (born July 2005).

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness have been together for almost my whole childhood, so it will be strange to not see them together. Their split means they won’t appear together on red carpets, in Instagram posts, or in interviews — at least not as husband and wife.

At the 2023 Met Gala held at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, they made their final appearance on the red carpet. They last appeared in public together at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, where they sat down to witness Carlos Alcaraz defeat Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final by scores of 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, and 6-4.

Hugh Jackman posted on Instagram earlier this year to commemorate their 27th wedding anniversary. “I adore you a lot. Together, we have built a lovely family. plus life. Your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, bravery, and dedication to me are a priceless gift. “I sincerely love you,” he wrote.

Even if their union may be dissolving, it’s encouraging to see that they are still treating one another with “gratitude, love, and kindness.” We wouldn’t expect anything less from Hugh and Deborra-lee, even though that isn’t often the case with Hollywood marriages, especially ones that continue for close to three decades.