By Marianka Swain
One among Hollywood’s longest-standing, and seemingly blissful, unions has come to an finish: actress Nicole Kidman and nation singer Keith City are reportedly separating after nearly 20 years of marriage.
The information broke on Tuesday, however, in accordance with a supply who spoke to US tabloid information web site TMZ, Kidman and City have been residing aside “because the starting of the summer season”.
The couple shares two daughters: Sunday Rose, 17, and Religion Margaret, 14. Sources instructed TMZ that the separation was City’s determination, whereas Kidman, who didn’t need to break up, has been attempting to save lots of their 19-year marriage.
Hypothesis is already rife concerning the attainable causes – whether or not lengthy working hours (particularly Kidman’s) performed a component, or a shifting energy steadiness between their two careers.
Similar to the home thrillers that Kidman now specialises in, akin to Huge Little Lies and The Good Couple, clearly there have been points lurking behind the shiny facade the pair offered to the world at movie premieres and awards ceremonies.
In 2009, Kidman instructed Entry Hollywood: “I need to be in love for the remainder of my life. I need to be an outdated girl nonetheless married to Keith, and searching again going, ‘What a stunning, pretty journey collectively.'” Nevertheless, that journey seems to have come to an finish.
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Nicole Kidman and Keith City’s love story in footage
A whirlwind romance
Kidman, 58, and City, 57, initially bonded over their shared Oceanic roots; Kidman is Australian and City, born in New Zealand, moved there when he was two years outdated. Kidman grew up in Sydney, whereas City spent his childhood in Queensland. The pair have been launched by actor Geoffrey Rush in January 2005 at G’Day LA, an Aussie promotional occasion held in Los Angeles.
Kidman was already a celebrated Hollywood actress when the pair met, having received an Oscar for The Hours in 2003, and had garnered as a lot consideration for her private life due to her marriage to Tom Cruise (the couple separated in 2001, after 11 years collectively). But it surely feels like City initially held all the ability.
Talking to Ellen DeGeneres on her chat present in 2017, Kidman recalled: “I had such a crush on [Urban], and he wasn’t eager about me.” She added: “He did not name me for 4 months.”
Though it is onerous to think about it now, on the time City was arguably the larger and extra bankable star within the US. After shifting to Nashville in 1992, he had turn into a rustic music sensation, racking up primary hits on the US nation charts with songs akin to Anyone Like You and Who Would not Wanna Be Me.
Nevertheless, City did finally name Kidman, and the pair started a whirlwind romance. Kidman instructed Vainness Truthful in 2013 that whereas she had discovered Cruise intoxicating, City was her “nice love”.
She expanded: “I might in all probability say that two very lonely individuals managed to fulfill at a time after they may open themselves up to one another. We have been a combination of frightened and courageous.”
On her thirty eighth birthday, in June 2005, City turned up on Kidman’s New York doorstep at 5am with gardenias and shocked together with her a visit to Woodstock, New York. “That’s after I went, ‘That is the person I hope I get to marry,'” Kidman instructed Individuals journal in 2019.
She obtained her want: the pair tied the knot in Manly, Australia, in June 2006, at a fairy-tale marriage ceremony attended by Antipodean A-listers Hugh Jackman, Baz Luhrmann, Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts, in addition to Kidman’s two adopted kids with Cruise, Isabella and Connor. City serenaded her along with his music Making Reminiscences of Us, and visitors all went residence with a silver Tiffany clock engraved with “A second in time”.
‘A stunning period of time aside’
The union was put to the check nearly instantly. In October 2006, Kidman was compelled to stage an intervention for City, who struggled with cocaine and alcohol habit and subsequently checked into rehab for the third time. City instructed Rolling Stone in 2016: “I brought about the implosion of my recent marriage. It survived, but it surely’s a miracle it did.”
He gave Kidman credit score for serving to him “shake off the shackles of habit”. Kidman additionally acted as a muse for City in his subsequent work – together with, memorably, the road in his 2018 music Gemini “She’s a maniac within the mattress / However a brainiac in her head”.
The couple welcomed their daughters in 2008 and 2011, and settled down in Tennessee (Kidman mentioned in 2013 she had been “one thing of a gypsy” earlier than the transfer, so was glad to relocate to the house of nation music to profit City’s profession).
Kidman additionally defined to Vogue in 2015 that she may have “an actual life” in Nashville. “I can write right here. I can hike. I can take my children to highschool.” She and City purchased a £1.8 million (approx. $3.6 million) compound in 2007, earlier than upgrading to a £2.6 million (approx. $5.3 million) mansion in a gated group in 2008.
Nevertheless, the couple additionally acquired a number of different properties, together with flats in Sydney and Manhattan. Sustaining their Nashville home bliss, removed from Hollywood, appears to have been more and more difficult.
Kidman has been terribly busy lately: since 2007, she’s racked up round 38 films and 10 TV exhibits. Meaning spending weeks or months on finish on location; this summer season she rented a Hampstead mansion (as soon as owned by Boy George) whereas filming the sequel to her 1998 movie Sensible Magic in London.
Kidman and City’s lengthy intervals aside reportedly drew remark in Australia. A supply instructed native journal Girl’s Day this month: “It’s stunning how a lot time they’ve spent aside,” including, “It is like they each went their separate methods.”
Steamy intercourse scenes
Kidman has additionally taken on various roles that contain steamy intercourse scenes, akin to within the 2024 erotic thriller Babygirl, which depicted her character’s affair with a a lot youthful colleague (performed by Harris Dickinson). City appears lower than thrilled by that improvement.
In July, when Australian radio host Max Burford requested City what he considered his “stunning spouse” sharing intimate scenes with “stunning youthful males like Zac Efron”, her co-star within the 2024 movie A Household Affair, City abruptly ended the interview.
The 2017 Emmy awards provided a barely awkward window into their marriage when City was photographed wanting on as Kidman kissed her Huge Little Lies co-star Alexander Skarsgard on the mouth.
Nevertheless, it’s City who, in 2006, was accused of being untrue. Mannequin Amanda Wyatt instructed the Each day Mail that City had had an affair together with her whereas relationship, and changing into engaged to, Kidman. Wyatt mentioned: “I really feel sorry for Nicole […] He is completed it as soon as and he’ll in all probability do it once more.” Neither City nor Kidman ever commented on Wyatt’s claims.
An influence imbalance
However there gave the impression to be recent stress as not too long ago as final yr, as City reckoned along with his modified standing within the marriage: he had primarily turn into Mr Kidman, supporting his globally well-known spouse on varied pink carpets. Though he has continued to achieve success in his trade, promoting out area gigs, profitable nation music awards and likewise judging on actuality TV exhibits together with The Voice and American Idol, it is a far cry from Kidman’s world fame.
Talking to The Occasions final yr, City refused to reply instantly a query about whether or not he minded enjoying second fiddle to his spouse. He later took challenge with the identical interviewer asking him about Kidman, slightly than his personal profession, snapping, “I am not going to speak about her.”
These issues seem to have dramatically escalated: a supply instructed TMZ this week that City has purchased his personal residence in Nashville and moved out of the household residence.
Final yr, whereas selling her Netflix collection The Good Couple, Kidman instructed E! Information that there is no such thing as a such factor, explaining: “Something that is offered as good… overlook it.” When requested if she and City have been a “good couple”, as generally referred to within the media, Kidman replied: “I do not see any of that.”
Now that flawless picture is not any extra. The subsequent time she performs a devastated spouse going through the top of her enviably lengthy marriage in a drama, Kidman may need private expertise to attract upon.
© Telegraph Media Group Restricted 2025
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