Hugh Jackman Thanks Prince Harry & Meghan Markle For Showing ‘Courage’
Hugh Jackman, who is the patron of a suicide-prevention charity in Sydney, Australia, watched the TV special with his wife, actress and activist Deborra-lee Furness
Hugh Jackman Hails Prince Harry & Meghan Markle (PC: Twitter; Getty Images)
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Hugh Jackman has heaped praise on the Duke and Duchess Of Sussex – Prince Harry & Meghan Markle, for having the courage to speak out about her suicidal fears during the early months of their marriage.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in America on Sunday night (07Mar21), Duchess Meghan revealed she considered ending her life when she became the target of the British media and the royal family failed to protect her from attacks about her mixed-race heritage – even though she was pregnant with Prince Harry’s son Archie.
Hugh Jackman, who is the patron of a suicide-prevention charity in Sydney, Australia, watched the TV special with his wife, actress and activist Deborra-lee Furness, and on Monday he took to social media to urge all his fans and followers to watch Oprah’s revealing interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
“I recommend Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry, which Deb and I, and millions of people around the world, watched last night, with astonishment,” Hugh Jackman said. “There we were, watching an incredibly high-profile woman, and her husband, speak so openly, courageously, honestly, with such dignity about the hardest time in their life and their cry for help.
“I sit on the board of Gotcha 4 Life, an organisation in Sydney that deals with this issue of suicide, as well as mental fitness, and last night I thought everyone needs to see this, because it is such an incredible example to never worry alone.
“Seek help, and if you’re not getting help where you’re looking for it, keep looking. Go somewhere else, because there is always help. So never worry alone. And I just want to say, ‘Thank you Meghan, thank you Harry, for your courage’.”
America’s former First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, also weighed in on the TV special, during which Meghan Markle revealed members of the royal family were concerned about the colour of her son’s skin when she fell pregnant.
“I found it so heart-rending to watch,” she said during a Washington Post Live event on Monday. “I’ve had my time in the box with the British tabloids, as anybody who is in the public eye has had, and their cruelty in going after Meghan was just outrageous, and the fact she did not get more support, that the reaction was, ‘Let’s just paper it over and pretend that it didn’t happen or it will go away, just keep your head down’, well, you know, this young woman was not about to keep her head down.”
Clinton added, “Young women should not be forced into a mold that is no longer relevant, not only for them, but for our society… I just hope that there will be some serious thoughtful consideration in all of the institutions, not just in response to what Meghan and Harry were talking about, but literally across all of our societies.”
And White House press secretary Jen Psaki also praised the Duchess for her courage at a press briefing on Monday.
“For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage and that’s certainly something the President believes,” Psaki replied when asked if U.S. leader Joe Biden had any reaction to the TV interview.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry now live in America after opting to leave Britain and step down as working members of the royal family. (KL/WNWC/KL)
