Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
- Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman got married in 2006, but Urban’s addiction struggles tested their bond early on.
- Urban entered rehab just four months after their wedding and credited Kidman’s unwavering support for his sobriety and their nearly two-decade-long relationship.
- Reports revealed the couple had been living apart before Kidman filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban formed one of entertainment’s biggest power couples for more than 19 years. However, their relationship wasn’t always on solid ground—even long before reports of their separation emerged Monday.
Urban, now 57, married Kidman, 58, in 2006, kicking off what seemed like a fairytale life together. But within a few weeks, the “You’ll Think of Me” singer’s addiction struggles put their romance in peril.
Here’s how Urban and Kidman responded to the early challenge in their relationship and were able to stay together for almost two decades.
Urban worried he “blew our marriage to smithereens”
Kidman, who was previously married to actor Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001, met Urban at the January 2005 G’Day USA gala. Although it took Urban more than a week to call the actor for the first time, their relationship progressed rather quickly. The pair wed by June 2006.
But only four months into their marriage, Urban checked into a Betty Ford Center to receive treatment for substance abuse. The singer previously admitted to relying on alcohol and drugs such as cocaine early in his career and had already been to rehab twice.
While honoring Kidman at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony in 2024, he candidly revealed his worry that “my addictions that I’d done really nothing about blew our marriage to smithereens.”
“Four months into a marriage, I’m into rehab for three months, with no idea what was going to happen to us. And if you want to see what love in action really looks like, give that a whirl,” he continued.
Urban likened Kidman’s support to a spiritual awakening and has stayed sober ever since. He wrote and recorded the 2009 song “Thank You” for Kidman.
Urban and Kidman established their own relationship rules
After their relationship passed a major test, Urban and Kidman put safeguards in place to maintain their spark.
With Kidman choosing to prioritize her family over her acting career—daughter Sunday Rose arrived in 2008 and Faith Margaret followed soon after in 2010—she and Urban established a rule they should go no more than three days without seeing each other.
“I think I’ve reached a point in my life where I’ve slowed down a lot, so it’s not difficult. My priority is very much keeping my family together and not being away from them,” Kidman said.
Additionally, Kidman revealed in June 2018 the couple had never texted during the course of their marriage to avoid any misunderstandings.
“We just do voice to voice or skin to skin, as we always say. We talk all the time and we FaceTime but we just don’t text because I feel like texting can be misrepresentative at times,” Kidman explained to Parade magazine. “And I’ve had the thing where I reread texts and I’m like, 'What does that mean?’ and then read it to somebody and go 'Can you interpret that?’ I don’t want that between my lover and I.”
Given these thoughtful gestures in their relationship, the details of their separation are all the more surprising.
The pair were reportedly separated prior to their split
TMZ first reported Kidman and Urban’s split Monday, with People later confirming the story.
A source told the latter the couple had already been leading separate lives—with Urban setting up his own place to live. Kidman and Urban were last spotted together at a FIFA Club World Cup soccer match in June.
“It really hasn’t been a secret in their circles that Keith and Nicole have been living separately for a while now,” the source added. “People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable.”
Kidman reportedly preferred to maintain their relationship and “has been fighting to save the marriage.” The actor also spent a lot of time with Sunday and Faith amid Urban’s ongoing music tour.
TMZ reported Tuesday that Kidman has officially filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences,” and that she and Urban have already worked out a custody agreement.
Neither Urban nor Kidman has commented publicly about the split.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
