Hugh's tears for his sick dad

With his wife by his side Hugh has never looked happier – but a hidden heartache is tearing him apart.

As he crosses the globe promoting his blockbuster movie Les Miserables, Hugh Jackman has been beaming that infectious, million-dollar smile of his to the world. And why not? He has the love of his life, wife Deborra-lee Furness, by his side and there’s Oscar buzz building about his performance as Jean Valjean, a part he describes as “the role of a lifetime’’.

But on the inside, Hugh’s heart is breaking as his beloved father Chris, who raised him after his mother walked out, is suffering an undisclosed illness. “[I’ve been spending] a lot of time with my dad, who is not well,” he told Triple M’s The Grill Team. “When you’re with one of your parents who you know is not well and who is not going to get better, you want to make the most of every moment.”

While Hugh draws strength from his wife of 16 years and gets immense joy from his children, Oscar, 12, and Ava, 7, he has at times been unable to contain the emotion about his father’s illness. In an interview with US 60 Minutes, aired last week, he broke down as he spoke about his father, and the advice he’d given him about the importance of family.

“It’s always about the family,’’ he said of conversations they share. “It’s always, ‘How’s Deb?’ It’s not about work. And I think that’s him living with probably some of his regrets and feelings of maybe he at the wrong time put too much in his career. And he doesn’t want me to make that mistake. So in his gentle way, he always reminds me this is the most important thing.”