Hugh Jackman's 'secret' British family revealed: Hollywood superstar has lookalike siblings living modestly in England after their parents' unconventional divorce - splitting the family in two with his brothers and sisters raised 10,000 miles apart

Published: 12:25, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 12:26, 7 June 2026 He came from Australia but became one of Hollywood's biggest names - starring in blockbusters like X-Men, The Greatest Showman and Les Miserables. A less well-known aspect of Hugh Jackman's story may surprise his global army of fans however: not only was he born into a completely English family but he still has relatives in the UK living very ordinary lives, including a sibling who looks strikingly like him. Now the Daily Mail has, for the first time, pieced together the full story of the Jackman family - including one of the strangest divorce arrangements you will ever hear of. The story begins in 1967 when a young couple, Cambridge-educated accountant, Christopher Jackman, from Bromley, and his young bride Grace Greenwood, from Norwich, decided to move to Australia. The couple, who had married in 1960, and had been living in Croydon, are believed to have already had four children, Zoe, Ian, Ralph and Sonia, when they signed up for the famous 'Ten Pound Poms' scheme.  This was a vehicle by the governments of Australia and New Zealand, who were hamstrung by post-war labour shortages and stalling economies, to encourage Brits to start a new life down under by offering heavily discounted one way tickets. Hugh was born the following year, 1968, in Sydney, making him the first Aussie Jackman - but with dual British citizenship that he retains to this day. But their new life in Australia was far from happy for the couple: Grace is believed to have suffered post-natal depression as well as severe homesickness and although they shared a devotion to Evangelical Christianity - they had converted after attending a sermon by famous preacher Billy Graham - this wasn't enough to sustain the relationship. When Hugh was just seven, Chris and Grace decided to separate. Hugh Jackman may come from Ausatralia and be one of Hollywood's biggest stars, but he has three sisters and a mother living in England. Here he is with his eldest lookalike sister Zoe Farren, 64, who lives in the Lake District The Wolverine star pictured with his mother Grace McNeil. Grace and Jackman's father Chris became 'Ten Pound Poms Poms' when they moved to Australia from England - but when the couple separated, Grace took her two daughters Zoe and Sonia back to England, leaving Jackman Meanwhile Jackman was brought up in Australia with his brother Ralph with their father Christopher (pictured) while the rest of the family was 10,000 miles away in England In the mid-1970s, when divorce rates were soaring to record levels, there was nothing unusual about this move - but what they did next was highly unusual: the couple decided to split up the children too, by gender, and to move them 10,000 miles apart from each other. Grace would return to the UK, which she desperately missed with the two girls, Zoe and Sonia, while Christopher would stay on in Australia with the three boys, Ian, Ralph and Hugh. The actor later recalled the shock of going off to school as normal that day in 1976 and coming back to find his world changed forever. 'When I came back, there was no one there in the house,' he said. 'The next day there was a telegram from England - mum was there. And then that was it.' The Wolverine star previously recalled: 'My mum's departure was a big, defining moment for me. It was terrible. I couldn't quite understand it, and I kept thinking that she'd come back. But she never did.' The legacy of this strange arrangement, 40 years on, is that Jackman, the famous Aussie, has three British sisters, Zoe, Sonya and a younger half-sister, who his mum had in a second marriage after moving back home. All three live very ordinary, decidedly un-starry lives, the Daily Mail can reveal. Hints of this strange back story came to prominent public attention here just last month when Hugh was visiting London to promote his latest film, The Sheep Detectives, alongside co-stars like Emma Thompson and Bryan Cranston. Also appearing on that night's The One Show were two young boys from the farming area of Martindale in Cumbria. And this was Jackman's cue to show a level of knowledge of British geography that surprised viewers as he said: 'Martindale? That's up near the Lake District right? My sister lives in Windermere…do you know Lake Windermere?' Clips of the charming exchange later lit up social media and prompted widespread surprise and delight along the lines: 'Wolverine is from Windermere!' and 'How have I never bumped into him in Windermere – gutted', while another declared, 'We're now all on the search for Hugh whilst out!' The Daily Mail can reveal that that Lake District-based sibling is Hugh's oldest sister Zoe, 64, who now goes by her married name Zoe Farren. She lives very quietly with her husband, Tony Farren, 72, a retired accountant, in a pebble-dashed £300,000 mid-terrace home on a quiet cul-de-sac between the villages of Bowness and Windermere. They live unassuming, but well-meaning lives: Zoe runs Bible classes at the local parish church, while Tony is a treasurer of the Windermere food bank. The Farrens - long used to Zoe's brother's fame and the interest that comes with it - declined to discuss Hugh. But a neighbour said: 'Zoe and Tony are very much a part of the local community but live a quiet existence as kind, church-going people. 'Tony loves to play folk music in the local pub, and their daughter is a talented musician, too. Their Christian faith is really important to them - they want to help others in the community. 'They're not flashy people at all. They don't seek the limelight.' But Hugh has on occasion brought the limelight to them. In 2023 he visited the Farrens at their home and caused quite a stir at the nearby Watermill Inn and Brewery in the Cumbrian village of Ings. Regulars were said to be 'gobsmacked' when a famous Hollywood star casually dropped in for a pint of Guinness and a kebab. Barman Clyde Mason recalled that when he told kitchen staff who had just walked in initially none of them would believe him. He said: 'Hugh took time to say hi to everybody and shook hands with them all and signed autographs. He said 'nice to meet everyone' and then went back to enjoy his kebab with his family.' Zoe had another brush with global attention that summer when the actor took a selfie with his arm around his big sister while visiting the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens - and shared it with his 33 million Instagram followers. The post, captioned, 'I'm so grateful for my sister Zoe', sent fans reeling over their close resemblance – and pointed to the importance of family in keeping the Hollywood star grounded. The second big sister who was taken away from Hugh as a boy also now goes by her marital name, Sonia Garrett. Sonia, 61, studied drama at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, and worked as an actor too, as well as a dancer and even a clown, before developing a love of writing.  She has since published a number of books for children, from her home in Vancouver, Canada, where she relocated and now lives with husband Richard, a retired stuntman. They have one daughter, Jacquie. Hugh has spoken of his admiration for his second older sister. He shared on his Facebook after the publication of her second book: 'Hugely proud of my sister. Maddie [that book's lead character] is a real life hero for kids all around the world.' And that subsequent third sister? On her return to England his mother settled in Norwich, and remarried, in 1978, to Alan Helsdon, who worked for Norfolk County Council. After Grace moved back to England, she had another relationship - and had another daughter Rowan  McAllan - Jackman's half sister, pictured here centre with her sisters Sonia and Zoe On her return to England his mother Grace settled in Norwich, and remarried, in 1978, to Alan Helsdon, who worked for Norfolk County Council  Grace and Alan separated and she went on to marry a third time - but not before Rowan was born in 1980.  Rowan served as a soldier who saw active service in Iraq and now lives in London Rowan and Grace remain close and are pictured together on social media. And previously Hugh shared a picture of himself with Rowan at a restaurant in 2017 in which she playfully pokes out her tongue at him, writing: 'Even I have one of those younger sisters…' The couple later split, with Grace later remarrying for a third time, in 1985. But before they broke up they had a daughter, Rowan McAllan, in 1980. Rowan served as a soldier who saw active service in Iraq and now lives in east London. She is understood to be in regular contact with Hugh and sees him when their schedules coincide - they linked up earlier this year to visit Tate Modern in London. And previously Hugh shared a picture of himself with Rowan at a restaurant in 2017 in which she playfully pokes out her tongue at him, writing: 'Even I have one of those younger sisters…' Alan now lives in a one-bedroom flat in a modest seventies block in Norwich, and he told the Daily Mail of his stepson: 'He's a lovely chap.' Grace, now 86, still lives in Norwich. And whatever emotional scars her disappearance from his childhood may have caused then, Hugh has insisted are now healed - and he has a good relationship with his mother. He has said: 'She comes to visit us, and when I'm in England, I go to visit her, and we've always had a good relationship. 'I know a lot of people would assume I'd be angry with my mum, but it's never really felt like that. We've had many chats about what happened and exorcised our demons. 'She's very open, and I've always found it easy to talk to her so it hasn't been something that has forced me into therapy. 'I think on some level I understand, particularly as an adult now, what she did and why it happened.' Hugh had also previously praised his father, Christopher, who he called his role model and 'rock', for how gracefully he handled the divorce. Christopher died in Sydney in 2021 – and the actor posted a heartfelt tribute to him on social media at the time. He wrote on Instagram: 'My Dad was, in a word, extraordinary. He devoted his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray he is now at peace with God.' His older brothers are still in Australia. Ian, 63, was appointed a Judge on the Federal Court of Australia following a very successful career, while Ralph, 62, has worked as a journalist, teacher and writer. Hugh, famously, has also had his own marital woes: his split from wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 70, after a 27-year marriage caused global shock in 2024. By then Hugh had become a father himself, adopting two children, Oscar, 26, and Ava, 20, after he and Deborra-Lee had struggled with fertility and endured two heartbreaking miscarriages. Hugh, whose divorce was finalised last June, has since embarked on a new romance with musical theatre actress Sutton Foster, 51. The pair's romance began in late 2024 while they starred alongside each other in the Broadway revival of The Music Man. They publicly confirmed their relationship in January 2025 – a year after Hugh announced he had split from Deborra-Lee. She lives very quietly with her husband, Tony Farren, 72, a retired accountant, Jackman's eldest sister lives in a pebble-dashed £300,000 mid-terrace home on a quiet cul-de-sac between the villages of Bowness and Windermere Hugh and Deborra-Lee, who met in 1995 while starring together on Australian TV programme Corelli, had long been seen as an untouchable showbiz match. The pair, who had a 13-year age gap, got engaged just four months after meeting – and throughout their marriage, had a rule they would never spend more than two weeks apart. It didn't prevent their marriage from ultimately breaking down - but the story of Hugh's childhood shows why he was keen to avoid long absences from loved ones. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.