Hugh Jackman reconciled with his mother who abandoned him at the age of eight after having children of his own that helped him better understand his private struggles.
The 52-year-old Hollywood actor went viral this week after sharing a sweet Instagram photo with his mother, Grace McNeil, who led fans to discover the heartbreaking story behind his relationship.
And a 2012 interview has already resurfaced in which Hugh talked about his personal journey to make peace with his mother.
Empathy: Hugh Jackman reconciled with his mother who abandoned him at the age of eight after having children of his own, helping him better understand his private struggles. In the photo: The actor with his mother, Grace McNeil, in an undated photo
The X-Men star told The Australian Women’s Weekly that she felt traumatized and embarrassed for years after her mother left her family in Australia and returned to the UK.
But she realized over time that she was struggling with postnatal depression without a proper support system.
“It was hard then,” he said. One of the main things I remember is the horrible feeling that people were talking about you and looking at you because it was weird for mom to leave.
“For many years, I thought it wouldn’t be forever, so I clung to it. Until I was 12 or 13, I thought mom and dad would reunite … Realize it wouldn’t probably happen it was the hardest time to be honest.
Sorry: The 52-year-old actor went viral this week after sharing this sweet photo on Instagram with mother Grace, which led fans to discover the groundbreaking story behind their relationship.
Years later, Hugh talked to his mother about his decision to leave and realized he had his own battles that he would not have been able to understand as a child.
I know I was struggling. He was in the hospital after I was born with postpartum depression, ”he said.
“And then you add five children to the fact that he had emigrated from England and that there was no support network here, in addition to the fact that the father was working all day, and you realize that as parents we make mistakes.”
Hugh explained that having children of his own with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness (they share son Oscar, 21, and daughter Ava, 16, both adopted) gave him “another level of empathy and understanding. “which allowed him to build bridges with his mother.
“There comes a certain time in life when you have to stop blaming other people for how you feel or the misfortunes of your life,” he added.
Meanwhile, thousands of fans have praised Hugh for finding the strength to forgive his mother for leaving him, after his exciting photo of the couple, simply titled “Mom,” had been headlines this Tuesday.
One wrote on Facebook: “It’s amazing that you have come to accept and forgive your mother. You are a great person, because you not only lost your mother at such a young age, but also your two sisters. Thank God that you had such a lovely father.
Learning: Hugh explained that having children of his own with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness (who share son Oscar, 21, and daughter Ava, 16, both adopted) gave him “another level of empathy and understanding ”that allowed him to build bridges with his mother. High appears with his wife as a child on the day of his son Oscar’s graduation
Another added: “What people don’t realize is that he would have had to do a lot of work on himself and his feelings of abandonment to get to this point.
“I could have been angry and scared, but I’m so glad I chose the cure, because now she’s free to love it.”
A third fan commented: ‘I wish I could be more like him, but unfortunately I will never forgive my‘ mother ’for going out and abandoning us. I just can’t get myself to do it. This man [Hugh] he’s clearly a better person than me for that. “
Others said they hoped Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would read Hugh’s story and one day reconcile with the families they had set aside.
What a handsome man. God bless you: His thousands of fans have praised Hugh for finding the strength to forgive his mother for leaving him.
Take notes: Others said they hoped Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would read Hugh’s story and one day reconcile with the families they had set aside.
Hugh told the Australian magazine Who in January 2018 that his mother abandoned him as a child was “traumatic”.
The Broadway star was an eight-year-old student when Grace left him without even saying goodbye.
She left Australia and returned to her native England in the late 1970s, leaving her husband, Christopher Jackman, to raise her children alone.
Scars: The Broadway star said in January 2018 that his mother abandoned him as a child was “traumatic.” Grace left Australia and returned to her native England in the late 1970s, leaving her husband, Christopher Jackman, to raise her children alone. In the picture: Hugh as a child
After the marriage divorced, Hugh’s sisters, Zoe and Sonya, went to live with Grace in the UK; Hugh and his brothers, Ian and Ralph, stayed in Sydney with their father.
“It was traumatic,” Hugh said, recalling his difficult childhood. I thought I would probably come back. And then he crawled over and continued.
The Greatest Showman star added that after her mother left the family, she saw her approximately “once a year.”
It wasn’t until he was 12 or 13 that his mother would never return.
In December 2012, Hugh told the 60-minute Australian show that he still vividly remembered “the morning he left.”
‘I remember he was in a towel around his head and he said goodbye. [It] “It must have been the way he said goodbye,” he said.
“When I went back to school, when I came back, there was no one in the house.”
He added: “The next day there was a telegram from England. The mother was there. And then that was it. The father prayed every night for the mother to return.
Hugh once told an Australian magazine, “What I never felt, and I know this may seem strange, I never felt my mother didn’t love me.”
Divided family: After Grace and Christopher divorced, Hugh’s sisters, Zoe and Sonya, went to live with their mother in the UK. Hugh and his brothers, Ian and Ralph, stayed in Sydney with their father. In the photo: Hugh and his father
Fortunately, Hugh and his mother reconciled years later.
He told The Sun in October 2011: “I am 43 years old and we have definitely made peace, which is important.
‘I was always pretty connected with my mom. I have a good relationship with her.
“I have a good relationship with her”: Hugh and his mother reconciled years later, with the actor saying in 2011, “We’ve definitely made peace, which is important.”