Fans are still going down the rabbit hole of what led to Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s split.Because nearly a year after the Oscar winner filed to end her 19-year union with the country music star, the internet is still just left with their reasoning of "irreconcilable differences."
And if her followers were shocked by their since-finalized divorce, well, Kidman admits it’s not how she envisioned her future either.
"But at the same time I’m like, 'OK, I didn’t expect this. I had a different view of what my life was going to be, but this is what it is now,” the Practical Magic 2 actress—who shares daughters Sunday Rose, 18, and Faith, 15, with Urban—recently told British Vogue. "You make all these plans and you have all these ideas of what it’s all going to be like and then it’s… not. You have to adjust. You adapt. The future, it’s completely unknown to me right now."
Though she finds this "strange," Kidman would rather not spend the hours dwelling on the past."There was a point where I was very fearful and deeply vulnerable," the Big Little Lies alum added, "which is exposing. And then at the same time [I’m] going, 'Well, I can either really not confront it and just curl up, or I can just go forward with an enormous amount of hope.'"
This isn't the first time Kidman has been forced to navigate the media frenzy that comes with the undoing of a celebrity marriage, her divorce from Tom Cruise making headlines in 2001. Still, "It’s all new,” she continued. "Every time!"
Kidman connected with the action star when they filmed 1990's Days of Thunder following his split from first wife Mimi Rogers.
"We just fell madly in love and it was that simple," the Moulin Rouge! lead recalled to British Vogue. "I remember people saying to me, ‘OK, well this is really going to affect your career.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I’m in love. I want to be married.'"They tied the knot in December of that year, and the media cast her in a new role.
"Then I was his ‘wife’ and they were like, 'See, we told you,'" she said. "I’m like, 'So what? I wasn’t meant to marry the man I love? Of course I’ll throw my career away. I don’t care.'"
Over the next decade, Kidman and Cruise remained costars in work—starring in Far and Away as well as Eyes Wide Shut—and in life, adopting daughter Bella Cruise, 33, and son Connor Cruise, 31.
"I was reeling with Tom. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him," the Babygirl star told DeJour in 2012. "I was so impulsive and naïve."Though she and the Top Gun actor experienced heartache—including an ectopic pregnancy at the beginning of their marriage—she told the outlet she "thought our life together was perfect."
So fans were surprised when the pair announced their separation in February 2001 and Cruise filed for divorce days later. And according to Kidman's response, so was she."This came as a shock to [Kidman]," read court papers obtained by ABC News that May. "On Dec. 24 the parties had happily celebrated their 10th anniversary with a group of friends. During the balance of December and thereafter the parties were intimate; In fact [Kidman] became pregnant by [Cruise] but lost the baby through a miscarriage."
Kidman "protested [Cruise's] intention to dissolve their marriage and urged him not to leave but to enter marriage counseling with her, or take other steps to address whatever problems may have existed in their marriage," the documents continued, per the outlet. But Cruise "said his decision was final and he departed the parties' home."
For his part, the Mission: Impossible star claimed in his filing they’d separated before their anniversary, per ABC News, and denied the divorce was a shock to Kidman—with his lawyer telling the outlet she "has always known exactly why the parties are divorcing."Not that Cruise felt it was anyone else’s business."Anyone who’s been in a relationship knows that’s not how it goes down," the Jerry Maguire alum told Barbara Walters in 2002, "and I think that it’s something that is between us."However, he insisted the divorce had nothing to do with the pregnancy or his much-talked-about faith in Scientology.
Whatever the reason, Kidman acknowledged it wasn’t easy to move on. "It took me a very long time to heal," she told DeJour. "It was a shock to my system."
As Kidman navigated the divorce—which was finalized months later—she focused on her work, releasing Moulin Rouge! and The Others in 2001 as well as The Hours the following year."To be completely honest, I was running from my life at that time," she shared at the 2015 Women in the World summit. "I wasn’t able to handle the reality of my life. And as an actor, you have this wonderful thing where you can go and get lost in somebody else’s life and become somebody else for a period of time."As the actress transformed into these characters, she noticed a transformation in herself too. "I then sort of embraced my own life and I got myself together," she continued, "and it took me a number of years."But after winning the Oscar in 2003 for her lead role in The Hours, Kidman realized she wanted more."That caused an epiphany, which was, 'Actually, this is not the answer,'" she added. "I was sitting in The Beverly Hills Hotel and it was all extraordinary and I was the loneliest I’d ever been."
Despite the heartbreak she experienced with Cruise—who then wed Katie Holmes in 2006, the two divorcing six years later—Kidman didn’t give up on love. She was briefly engaged to Lenny Kravitz before they split in 2004. Then in early 2005, Kidman met Urban at the G'Day USA gala in Los Angeles. Most recently, Kidman has sparked romance rumors with businessman Michael Reinstein."Maybe I’ve gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2021. “I’m wary at times, and I’ve been hurt, but at the same time I much prefer a warm approach rather than a prickly shutdown approach. My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, ‘How’s your heart?’ And I apparently responded, 'Open.'"To open up memories of Kidman and Urban's marriage, keep reading.
Keith Urban held hands with Nicole Kidman in November 2024 as they walked into Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, where the country singer performed that night.
Keith shared this photo of himself serenading Nicole in an Instagram tribute honoring their 18th wedding anniversary.
It was a family affair for the couple, who were joined by their daughters Sunday Rose (in the floral dress) and Faith Margaret (in the orange gown) at the red carpet event.
Also along for the ride? Nicole's niece Sybella Hawley, sister Antonia Kidman and brother-in-law Craig Marran.
Keith shared this selfie on the couple's 16th anniversary.
The actress lovingly touched her husband's face on the red carpet.
Keith sweetly held Nicole's hand at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, where she was nominated in the Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama) category for her work in Big Little Lies.
This cute moment between the couple was captured at the 2019 ACM Awards.
The actress cuddled up to her husband during the semi-finals match at the Australian Open.
The fan-favorite couple embraced after Keith's win at the 2018 CMA Awards.
Nicole and Keith embraced onstage during Lincoln Center's American Songbook Gala.
#Selfie! The country singer and actress posed for a picture at the CMA Awards.
In this 2017 Emmy Awards pic, it was Keith's turn to look down as Nicole leaned in.
The duo was back to staring into each other's eyes, but Nicole made this pic even more sweet by placing her hands on Keith's face.
The two looked infatuated with each other on the red carpet at the premiere of The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Keith and Nicole shared a sweet moment at the country music gathering.
The A-list couple shared an intimate kiss in this adorable Facebook picture.
In this pic, the couple gave a variation of their signature pose. Instead of staring into each other's eyes, Nicole looked down as Keith leaned in to whisper in her ear.
This candid pic proves that the couple does this pose IRL and not just on the red carpet.
The couple strike their signature pose—leaning in and staring into each other's eyes.
The Hollywood couple share a tender moment in front of the cameras.
Keith and Nicole only had eyes for each other at the film event.
This story was first published Sept. 30, 2025 at 1:13 p.m. PST.