He’s long enjoyed a reputation as one of the nicest celebrities in Hollywood, but Hugh Jackman’s squeaky-clean image has been called into question following speculation about a romance with his former co-star.

Since his shock split from wife Deborra-Lee Furness last year, the A-lister, 56, has been linked to American actress Sutton Foster. However, their  alleged relationship has raised eyebrows after Deborra-Lee, 68, recently ‘liked’ a video from gossip blogger Tasha Lustig, which claimed that Hugh was ‘running off with the mistress’ and planning a ‘soft launch’ of their relationship.

Setting tongues wagging even further, Deborra-Lee’s friend Amanda de Cadenet also commented on the same post, writing, ‘You are on point with this one. My beloved friend Deb is about to have her glow up any moment fyi!’ While there’s been speculation about when Hugh and Sutton got together, there is no evidence to support claims of an affair.

And now, sources tell Closer that Hugh is fretting about the damage the stories could cause. An insider says, ‘Hugh has always taken a huge amount of pride in his “nice guy” reputation, he’s worked hard at it. A lot of people have been calling him a wolf in sheep’s clothing because it’s very hard to reconcile this guy that’s always seemed so above reproach with a guy that would ditch his wife like this. And while nothing has been confirmed, people are very disappointed in him.’

Hugh and Sutton, 49, first began working together on The Music Man on Broadway in March 2020. The pair took on the roles of Harold Hill and Marian Paroo in the show, which ran from February 2022 to January 2023 at the Winter Garden Theatre in Manhattan.

Sharing snaps of them together, Hugh wrote on Instagram in December 2021, ‘On March 10, 2020 @suttonlenore and I took these photos. We were just starting our first workshop for @musicmanbway. Little did we know what was lurking around the corner … I’m beyond excited to share these photos as we pack up from the rehearsal space and make our way uptown to the great white way at our new home at the #wintergarten.’ 

He added, ‘Deliriously joyful, grateful and petrified all at the same time. Wouldn’t want to be standing beside anyone else but Sutton and this extraordinary cast and crew. Both a #throwbackthursday and the present!’

Opening up about working with Hugh, Sutton previously said, ‘He has an impeccable reputation of being the hardest working man, incredibly kind, and generous — and all of that is true. He disarms everyone, and he doesn’t make anything about him. And he’s now become one of my best friends, which was a surprise, because you usually go into these things thinking, “Well, I hope we get along.”’ She added that they’ve become so close that they even spent Memorial Day together with their families. For his part, the Wolverine actor said that Sutton was ‘just a dream’ to work with on and off-stage.

It comes after Hugh and ex-wife Deborra-Lee announced the end of their marriage last September following 27 years together. The couple, who are parents to adopted children Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19, fell in love in 1995 after meeting on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli.

In a statement, they said, ‘We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.

‘Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.’ 

Meanwhile, Sutton filed for divorce from husband Ted Griffin last month. The couple were married for ten years and share daughter Emily, seven, who they adopted in 2017.

Our source adds that Deborra-Lee is understandably heartbroken that Hugh appears to have already moved on. ‘As you can imagine, Deb is feeling devastated, but also somewhat vindicated, because people are now finally seeing that Hugh might not be the Mr. Wonderful he likes to portray himself as,’ the insider says.

‘Deb feels like she was the last to know, she was blindsided, so it’s pretty humiliating to realise so many people were talking about this behind her back. But the silver lining of everyone knowing, is that he’s going to have to face some consequences.’

Back in May, Deborra-Lee broke her silence on her split from Hugh, saying she was ‘strong and resilient’. She said, ‘[I learned] that I’m strong and resilient. And that I – we are all a constant evolution.’

She added that the couple’s children are supportive of her return to acting after a hiatus, saying, ‘They’re very supportive of any pursuits. We’re all supportive of each other in any artistic pursuit that we do.’ 

The star also recently revealed that she has big plans for her career. ‘I’ve got a few [projects] up my sleeve, I’m working on a script with Rebecca Rigg, which I want to direct and act in,’ she admitted. ‘And who knows there might be a reprisal from the character I play [in Force of Nature]. Hey, maybe another sequel from a character I played many years ago in Shame.’

Our source adds that she’s hoping to move on with her head held high, saying, ‘Deb is far too classy to try and get revenge or play any sort of ugly games.’

And when it comes to Hugh’s next steps, the source explains, ‘Hugh’s plans to go public with Sutton have been put on ice. That doesn’t mean they’re not spending every free moment together – they’re just going to continue keeping a low profile. As much as he wants to go public, the backlash is already starting and it’s a big concern.

‘People have been very quick to judge, and nothing has even been confirmed. He’s really caught between a rock and a hard place at the moment because the more he sneaks around, the more people whisper about how he’s clearly got some sort of something to hide. It’s all very uncomfortable but it’s not changed how he feels about Sutton. He’s still very much in love and just hoping they can ride out the storm together.’