Hugh Jackman has opened up for the first time about his painful road to parenthood, revealing his wife Deborra-Lee Furness’ struggle to conceive via IVF, and the multiple miscarriages she suffered through.
On the publicity rounds for his new film Les Miserables, the actor was emotional on Katie Couric’s US talk show as he candidly revealed the struggles the Hollywood couple went through before adopting their two children, Oscar, 12, and Ava, seven.
“Until you go through it, you don’t understand, it’s not talked about a lot,” Hugh said.
“We did IVF and Deb had a couple of miscarriages. I’ll never forget it, the miscarriage thing … It happens to one in three pregnancies. But it’s very, very rarely talked about. It’s almost secretive, so I hope Deb doesn’t mind me bringing it up now.”
Hugh went on to say miscarrying and the heartache it caused was “a good thing to talk about”.
“It’s more common and it is tough. There’s a grieving process you have to go through,” he said.
The proud adoptive father went on to highlight that he and Deborra-Lee had always intended to adopt children, but those plans were brought forward when they were unable to conceive naturally.
“By the way to be clear, Deb and I always wanted to adopt. So that was always in our plan,” he said.
“We didn’t know where in the process that would happen but biologically obviously we tried and it was not happening for us and it is a difficult time.”
He said as soon as their son Oscar, now 12, was born, “all the heartache just melted away”.
“Parents know you can’t prepare for that moment. Nothing can prepare for you … You can’t even explain how incredible it is and that avalanche of emotion that comes and how it opens up your heart, how it frustrates you, how it angers you, how everything is just all the sudden how alive you are as a parent,” he said.
In the November issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly Hugh spoke about how becoming a father has changed him.
“It’s been one of the most amazing and difficult journeys. Parenthood is so rewarding, but sometimes so hard,” he told The Weekly.
“I don’t know how this happens, but nothing stirs your emotions more than your kids… They make you face who you really are.”
“I suppose if parenthood has taught me anything, it’s taught me humility.”
