Hugh Jackman felt ''embarrassed'' to fall in love with Deborra-Lee Furness.

The 'Pan' actor met his wife of nearly 20 years on the set of his first professional acting role, the TV show 'Correlli', and he's admitted it felt ''ridiculous and clichéd'' to fall for the ''leading lady''.

He said: ''We got on well with each other from the start. And it was a situation where it seemed so ridiculous and clichéd and embarrassing and infantile, the whole thing where this was my first big acting job and here I am falling in love with the leading lady.''

The couple went on to marry in 1996 and adopted children Oscar, now 14, and Ava, now nine, and the 'Wolverine' star admits his success would be meaningless if he didn't have his family.

He told Psychologies magazine: ''Meeting Deb has been a blessing. We have a beautiful life together...

''This wouldn't mean very much if I couldn't share it with Deb and the kids.

''My father taught me that your family is your bedrock and you should always make that your priority. That lesson has never been lost on me.''