Hugh Jackman: `I understand why my mum left`

A sufferer of postnatal depression, Grace left her husband Chris and their five young children without saying goodbye. They only found out that she wouldn't be coming back when she sent them a telegram the next day.

Following the divorce, his sisters Zoe and Sonia moved to the UK to be with Grace, while Hugh and his brothers Ian and Ralph stayed with Chris in Sydney.

Although he was angry at first, the Wolverine actor went on to not only forgive, but to form a close bond with his mum.

'As I grew older I gained an understanding of why Mum did leave,' he told The Sun. 'I am 43 now and we have definitely made our peace, which is important.

'I was always quite connected with my mum. I have a good relationship with her.'

Growing up, he admitted that he loved fighting with his brothers so much that his former army boxing champion dad banned them from watching wrestling in a bid to discourage the violence.

'My brother Ralph is a year and a half older than me, so you can imagine from the moment I was born we were fighting,' he said. 'I remember my dad wouldn't even allow us to watch wrestling.

'He very rarely talked about boxing because he didn't want to glorify it. My dad is normally very quiet and it's hard to imagine him being a bruiser.

'He said he was fast, but after becoming the army champion, he went up to the next level and he was knocked out in his first bout.'