A body language expert has weighed in on rumours of a romance between Hugh Jackman and his Broadway co-star Sutton Foster.
Speculation about the pair reached fever pitch this week after it emerged that she’s split from her husband.
Tony-winning Sutton, 49, filed for uncontested divorce from her screenwriter husband Ted Griffin, 53, in New York County Supreme Court on Tuesday, gossip column Page Six reports.
Hugh, 56, and Sutton starred in The Music Man on Broadway together in 2022, a year before he announced his split from wife Deborra-Lee Furness after 27 years of marriage.
A number of sources told Page Six that Foster and Jackman ‘have fallen in love’.
Indeed, they appeared close when they posed on the red carpet at the Annual Tony Awards in June 2022.
The actress couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she leant closely to Hugh, who wrapped his arms around him.
Body language expert Louise Mahler told Daily Mail Australia on Friday things between Hugh and Sutton ‘could be serious’.
A body language expert told Daily Mail Australia on Friday things between Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster ‘could be serious’
‘These are two happy people who are clearly happy with close intimacy,’ Louise said.
‘Their bodies are together, her head is tilting towards his shoulder.’
‘They are laughing. It’s so special and so gorgeous. This could be serious,’ she added.
It comes after insiders claimed the pair had ‘fallen in love’.
‘They are 100 per cent together and are in love and want to spend the rest of their lives together,’ an insider previously told Page Six.
The publication also claimed the pair are going strong, but have been keeping the relationship out of the public eye, according to sources.
‘They are still together. They go out of their way to hide it, but it’s common knowledge,’ the source added.
Both have strong backgrounds in musical theatre, with Jackman frequently showcasing his singing and dancing skills in various productions, while Sutton is celebrated for her vocal and dance prowess.
Sutton was born in Georgia in 1975 and has a 30-year career in drama, including theatre, film and TV and singing.
The two-time Tony Award winner’s background is similar to Jackman’s, with both starting out in theatre and having an ongoing passion for live performance.
They also both have adopted children, with Sutton and her ex-husband Ted being the proud parents of daughter Emily, seven, while Jackman shares Oscar, 24, and Ava, 19, with his ex-wife Deborra-Lee.
‘These are two happy people who are clearly happy with close intimacy,’ body language expert Louise Mahler said
‘They are laughing. It’s so special and so gorgeous. This could be serious,’ she added
Both are involved in various charitable endeavours, using their platforms to support arts education and other causes.
Sutton has performed in some of the world’s most popular theatrical productions, including playing Sandy in Grease, the title character in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical.
She is also an accomplished TV star, and played the lead role in the popular US drama series Younger across its entire run, from 2015 – 2021.
Her first marriage was to Tony winner Christian Borle, 51, from 2006 until 2009.
Four years later, she confirmed her engagement to Griffin, a screenwriter on Ocean’s Eleven .
The pair said ‘I do’ in a private ceremony in Santa Barbara, California, in October 2014.
A number of sources told Page Six that Foster and Jackman ‘have fallen in love’
In 2021 she shared her thoughts about staring a family with her second husband.
The star said she ‘was always on the fence about whether I even wanted to have children,’ in an essay for People.
‘I was always very career-driven, and I had such a tricky relationship growing up with my own mom… It was never clear cut for me. I married in my 30s; it didn’t last, but one thing it did give me was this little inkling that I wanted to maybe have a family,’ she added.
However, when she met Griffin, her view on family changed.
‘When I met my husband, it was the first time that I finally went, ‘Oh, I get it. I understand why people have families’,’ she wrote.
Two years before sparking romance rumors with the actress, Hugh raved about having the opportunity to work with Foster on the Broadway revival of The Music Man
In 2020 she spoke about spending time with her husband and daughter amid the COVID-19 pandemic in an interview with People.
The star said it was ‘the first time that we’ve all been together for this amount of concentrated time without one of us traveling or having to leave for work every day.’
‘Especially breakfast and dinner. We’re all sitting at the table and now my daughter will ask everyone, ‘How was your day?’. We all like to sit down and talk and we’ve made it a really important part of our day that we come together as a family.’
Foster added that her daughter was ‘really thriving’ because ‘we’re all together.’
Meanwhile, Jackman filed for divorce from wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 68, last year in September, after 27 years of marriage.
‘We have been blessed to share almost three decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage,’ they shared at the time in a joint statement.
‘Our journey now is shifting, and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.’
The former pair share two adopted children together, son Oscar, 24, and daughter Ava, 19.
Romance rumours between Hugh and Sutton continue to circulate, with insiders saying they are already in love