Latest news with #Worland
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hugh Jackman's Friend Weighs In After Deborra-Lee Furness' 'Betrayal' Statement
Hugh Jackman's longtime friend has shared an update on the actor after his ex-wife Deborra-Lee Furness blasted their split as a 'traumatic journey of betrayal.' Appearing on Thursday's episode of Australia's 'Ben Fordham Live' radio show, Gus Worland weighed in on Furness' comments that described a tumultuous ending to her marriage with Jackman. Worland, a TV and radio personality, said he's been close to Jackman since the pair attended kindergarten together in 1973. 'It's not just [Furness'] statement, but just the last couple of years have been difficult,' Worland said. 'One thing that I've been really strict on, or disciplined on ... is to let them do what they've had to do.' Furness, 69, filed for divorce from Jackman, 56, on May 23 after the pair initially announced that they were amicably separating in 2023. The former couple, who share children Ava and Oscar, had been married for 27 years after tying the knot in 1996. In a seemingly 180 move from the couple's 2023 announcement, Furness this week shared a scathing statement with People. 'My heart and compassion goes out to everyone who has traversed the traumatic journey of betrayal,' Furness told the outlet, adding the split was 'a profound wound that cuts deep.' Speaking on the radio show, Worland said, 'No one wants anyone to go through what they've been through, and, of course, they go through everything publicly because of the type of people and the fame that they have.' Worland then gave an update on how the 'Deadpool & Wolverine' star has apparently been doing amid the messy divorce. 'I was over in New York with [Jackman] just last month, and he's fine. He is going along well. He's moving on with his life, and I hope that Deb does as well,' he said. Noting that the couple were together 'a long, long time,' Worland added that his priority is making sure that Jackman and Furness' kids 'get through this.' 'I just go to the kids and go, 'What can we do to make sure that they're going to get through this as well as possible?'' said Worland, who added he and Jackman are godparents to each other's first children. Jackman has been romantically linked to his former 'Music Man' co-star Sutton Foster, 50, since earlier this year. Foster and Jackman went public with their romance in January after they were spotted holding hands on a dinner date in California. Foster and Jackman's PDA-filled night caused a stir online, considering a source claimed to Us Weekly in November 2024 that Foster and Jackman's relationship is the 'reason Hugh and Deb got divorced.' Rumors had circulated that the two Broadway stars became close while starring in the musical revival. The insider claimed there was 'an affair and overlap' but that many people on Broadway 'kept it quiet.' 'A lot of people on Broadway knew, and we kept it quiet because both of them are so nice and great people,' the source alleged. 'Everyone respected their privacy. But there was an affair and overlap.' Meanwhile, Foster filed for divorce from her husband, Ted Griffin, in October 2024 after 10 years of marriage. Hugh Jackman's Ex Deborra-Lee Furness Files For Divorce After 27 Years Of Marriage Deborra-Lee Furness Drastically Changes Tone In Hugh Jackman Divorce Statement Hugh Jackman Causes Stir With Surprising Waffle Topping Preference
Pink Villa
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Hugh Jackman's Longtime Friend Says Actor's Last Couple of Years With Deborra-Lee Furness Were 'Difficult'
Deborra-Lee Furness has filed for divorce from her estranged husband, Hugh Jackman, two years after announcing their separation. The reports of the couple splitting after 30 years of marriage have been making the rounds on the internet. The Deadpool & Wolverine star's close friend, Gus Worland, revealed that the duo had been facing challenges in their union during the past few years. Worland shares a strong bond with Jackman, and the friends have known each other since childhood. While making an appearance on the Ben Fordham Live show, the TV personality claimed that no one wants to go through something as painful, especially in public. Gus' statement came after Furness talked about her 'traumatic journey of betrayal' and claimed the divorce to be a 'wound that cuts deep.' Gus Worland's reaction to Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness' divorce In conversation with the podcast host, Worland shared, 'No one wants anyone to go through what they've been through, and, of course, they go through everything publicly because of the type of people and the fame that they have.' He further added, 'One thing that I've been really strict on, or disciplined on, is to let them do what they've had to do. I was over in New York with [Jackman] just last month and he's fine. He is going along well. He's moving on with his life and I hope that Deb does as well.' Having known each other for so long, Worland and the Logan star have been godparents to each other's first child. Jackman, who had been married to the Australian actress for three decades, shares two kids with her, Oscar and Ava. Further in his talks on the show, the TV star shared that the couple had been together for a really long time. He went on to state, 'I just go to the kids and go, 'What can we do to make sure that they're going to get through this as well as possible?'' Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness announced their separation in September 2023, soon after their Met Gala appearance in May of the same year.
USA Today
07-04-2025
- General
- USA Today
Death becomes her: More women are becoming funeral directors
Death becomes her: More women are becoming funeral directors Women made up 72% of funeral services graduates in 2022. Why are they drawn to the industry and what do they bring to the service? Show Caption Hide Caption Good neighbor offers advice on dressing respectfully at a mosque A woman in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, gets advice from her Muslim neighbor, Rahab Almohammed, on how to wear a headscarf at a mosque funeral. USA Today Allyse Worland was a child when she went to a family member's funeral. "His presentation was not pleasant," she said. "It was unacceptable. And it was very traumatic for the family." Worland, just 9 years old, made up her mind that she wanted to become a funeral director to spare other families the pain hers had experienced. When she was older, she knocked on the doors of every funeral home in her rural Indiana county. She was turned away each time, she said, until she came to one with a a female funeral director. "She taught me the basics," Worland said. "It was a great example of one woman opening a door for another one." Today, Worland is vice president of Lauck & Veldhof Funeral & Cremation Service, a small family owned firm in Indianapolis, and a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. She's also one of a growing number of women breaking ground in a field that was once considered a man's domain: working with the dead for the benefit of the living. In 2022, 77% of the more than 7,000 students enrolled in funeral service education programs in the U.S. were women. 'That's what men do, right?' Lanae Strovers, like Worland, became a funeral director after seeing how not to do the job. "I had a very good friend and he passed away in tragic circumstances, and the funeral was horrible," she told the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network. "It just didn't have anything to do with him. You could just tell there wasn't a lot of effort that was put into it." Upset by the experience, she googled "How to be a funeral director," and a new career was born. She is now a funeral director for Hamilton Funeral Homes in Des Moines and a trainer for the National Funeral Directors Association. She knew the industry was traditionally male-dominated. Her father said, "That's what men do, right?" when she told her parents about her new career. "It's one of those things that in the last couple years has really been changing. That traditional funeral is kind of going to the side," she said. She and Worland both said people are searching for more individualized funerals that reflect their values and identities. "People want that more creative, almost that party planning aspect of it, and also ... a lot more of grief therapy and follow-up," said Strovers, who started a nonprofit, The Final Salute, to help veterans and their family members whose remains go unclaimed. What women bring to the funeral industry Worland has been in the funeral industry for 16 years. She holds degrees in mortuary science and management, and she has seen the changes in who's entering the business. "I've seen a lot of younger women, but also women who go into this as a second career, who find their calling later," she said. Once a vocation that was passed down through families, funeral services are attracting more first-generation students, such as her and Strovers. Changing times: After a bad funeral, this Iowa woman became a funeral director to do better for others She sees women's traditional role as caregivers as an advantage, noting that before hospitals, hospices and nursing homes, the dying were usually cared for and tended to at home by women: wives, mothers, aunts, daughters. "I think of it as coming full circle," she said. "People see women as more compassionate, and we have a different eye for things." She admitted she's encountered some discrimination, mostly from people who think she can't handle the physical demands of the job. Asked if there were any misconceptions people have, she joked, "We don't all look like Lurch from 'The Addams Family.'" She said she wants more people to understand that "we have lives outside the funeral home, and we are fighting our own battles." Helping others process their loss and grief can take an emotional toll on funeral workers, too, she said. "But we love our families and we love our communities, and that's what it's really about," Worland said. "There's a reason we're here. We are here to guide you and we'll be there every step of the way." How does one start a funeral services career? A mortuary science degree is usually a two-year associate's degree, offered at schools across the country. The American Board of Funeral Service Education Inc. has a list of schools it's accredited on its website, and courses range from technical subjects such as microbiology, anatomy, embalming and restorative techniques to courses dealing with business practices, management, psychology, grief and ethics. Some schools offer bachelor's degrees as well. Licensing requirements can vary by state, and some states require additional licenses for different aspects of mortuary science and funeral direction, such as cremation, running a funeral home or embalming, according to Many funeral directors and morticians work as interns or apprentices at established funeral homes to gain professional experience. What does a funeral director do? Funeral director or morticians work with loved ones to make the deceased's final arrangements, whether that involves burial, cremation or other ways of laying someone's remains to rest; planning services and completing the required paperwork. Duties can also include preparing the person's remains for a viewing and/or burial; offering support for loved ones; helping pre-plan funeral arrangements for those who wish to do so; conducting services and memorials; and working with clergy members and houses of worship to ensure adherence to religious and cultural traditions. How much do funeral directors and morticians make? Mmorticians make an average salary of $56,126 annually, according to That can vary widely, though: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the median salary for morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers in Rhode Island is $84,120, while the same professionals make a median salary of $33,040 in Texas.
