Hugh Jackman's Wife Responds To Tabloid Rumors That He's Gay

Deborra-Lee Furness, the wife of actor Hugh Jackman, has responded to persistent tabloid rumors that he's gay.

The couple married in 1996.

(Related: X-Men star Hugh Jackman calls on Australians to support same-sex marriage.)

Furness, 64, addressed the rumors about her husband during an appearance on the Australian television show Anh's Brush with Fame.

“I see these magazines,” she said. “They're so mean-spirited. So mean-spirited. I hope people don't buy these magazines and realize it's all made up.”

“He's been gay so many years. I was gay, too,” she joked.

“It's just wrong. It's like someone saying to Elton John, 'He's straight.' I'm sure he'd be pissed,” she answered when asked whether she was annoyed by the rumors.

In 2013, Jackman, 51, told The Hollywood Reporter that the rumors bother his wife.