The $30 million toe in the water

The Daily Mail has pieced together the full story of Hugh Jackman's family, including a bizarre divorce arrangement that saw his parents split up the children by gender and move them 10,000 miles apart.

The actor's three British sisters, Zoe, Sonya, and a younger half-sister,live very ordinary lives, a far cry from the glamour and excitement of Hollywood.

Hugh Jackman's family story, which includes a bizarre divorce arrangement, has been pieced together by the Daily Mail.

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The Australian-born actor's parents, Christopher and Grace Jackman, moved to Australia in 1967 as part of the 'Ten Pound Poms' scheme.

However, their new life in Australia was far from happy, with Grace suffering post-natal depression and severe homesickness.

The couple decided to separate when Hugh was just seven years old, with Grace taking their two daughters, Zoe and Sonia, back to England and Christopher staying on in Australia with their three sons, Ian,Ralph, and Hugh.

In a highly unusual arrangement,the couple decided to split up the children by gender,moving them 10,000 miles apart from each other.

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Grace would return to the UK with the two girls, while Christopher would stay on in Australia with the three boys.

This decision had a profound impact on Hugh, who later recalled the shock of going off to school one day 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.'

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The legacy of this strange arrangement 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 when Hugh was visiting London to promote his latest film, The Sheep Detectives.

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?'

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Clips of the charming exchange later lit up social media and prompted widespread surprise and delight.

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 villagges of Bowness and Windermere.

Zoe's life is a far cry from the glamour and excitement of Hollywood, where her brother Hugh has become one of the biggest stars.

She and her husband, Tony, have lived in the same house for over 20 years, and have two grown-up children.

Zoe's husband, Tony, is a retired accountant, and the couple have a comfortable but unassuming lifestyle.

Zoe has never sought to draw attention to herself or her family's connection to Hugh, preferring to keep a low profile.

Despite this, her connection to the famous actor has been revealed, and it is clear that she is proud of her brother's achievements.

Hugh has spoken publicly about the impact of his parents' divorce on his life, and has said that he has always felt a strong connection to his British heritage.

Despite being born in Australia, he has retained his dual British citizenship and has spoken about the importance of his family's history and culture.