Subtle signs all was not well before Nicole and Keith’s break-up

They famously met at a G’Day USA gala 20 years ago before marrying a year later and have navigated many highs and lows across their relationship.

The highs – marrying and welcoming two children together, and the lows – his trip to rehab months after their fairytale wedding, and supporting each other through the devastating deaths of her parents.

Through it all, the relationship of superstars Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban seemed to have stood the test of time, and they often thrilled fans with their loved-up antics.

Now with heartbreaking news they have reportedly ended their marriage, let’s look back at the love story of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban.

First meeting

Kidman, 58, and Urban, 57, were introduced in 2005 at the G’Day USA gala held in Los Angeles to mark Australia Day.

The two hit it off but Kidman later revealed Urban did not ring her for four months.

“I had such a crush on him and he wasn’t interested in me. It’s true!” Kidman told Ellen DeGeneres in 2017.

“He didn’t call me for four months.”

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In a 2007 interview with Vanity Fair, Kidman admitted that the pair were both “very lonely people” when they were introduced at the gala, with Kidman having just come out of a relationship and engagement with musician Lenny Kravitz, which followed her 2001 divorce from Tom Cruise.

“I would probably say that two very lonely people managed to meet at a time when they could open themselves to each other,” she said at the time.

“We were a mixture of frightened and brave.”

For his part, Urban told Andrew Denton in 2018 why it took him months to call Kidman.

“Somebody had given me her number and I had it in my pocket for a while. I kept looking at it thinking, ‘If I call this number, she’s going to answer. I don’t know what [to] say’,” he said, adding he thought she was “way out of my league”.

“I wasn’t in a very healthy place in my life. I’d never have thought she’d see anything in a guy like me,” he continued.

“But at some point I plucked up the courage to call those numbers and she answered, and we started talking and we talked and talked and talked and talked and it was effortless.”

Within weeks of finally picking up the phone, he turned up on the stoop of her New York home at 5am on her birthday with flowers.

“That is when I went, ‘This is the man I hope I get to marry,’ ” she told People.

“I believed by that point he was the love of my life.” 

Whirlwind engagement and wedding

Things moved quickly and by May 2006, they were engaged. They announced the news when Kidman brought Urban as her date to the 30th Anniversary gala for the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

“He’s actually my fiancé. I wouldn’t be bringing my boyfriend,” she said.

A month later they married in a candlelit wedding ceremony in Manly.

Afterwards, Urban serenaded his bride with his own song Making Memories of Us before they set off on a honeymoon in Bora Bora.

Rehab stint and recovery

But just four months after they exchanged vows, Urban checked into a rehab facility after Kidman reportedly staged an intervention.

He told Rolling Stone in 2014 he was “very, very blessed” she took action.

In November the following year, the couple set up home in Nashville, Tennessee, and just two months later, they announced they were expecting their first child together.

Family bonds and career juggle

Their daughter, Sunday Rose was born on July 7, 2008, in Nashville.

Then in December 2010, they announced they had welcomed a second daughter, Faith Margaret, that month with the help of a surrogate.

Over the next few years, they juggled being parents to their two children with their respective careers, which often forced them to spend long stints apart, while still finding time for each other.

Supporting each other through tragedies

In September 2014, Urban was by Kidman’s side as she struggled with the sudden death of her father Antony, even performing Amazing Grace at the funeral.

He was a tower of strength again when her mother Janelle died suddenly in September 2024, causing Kidman to abruptly leave the Venice Film Festival and fly back to Australia.

Loved up

Over the years, the couple made numerous loved-up appearances together, whether on the red carpet, or in videos, and professed their love for each other in interviews and in gushing posts on social media.

In 2023, Urban even shared private footage of their wedding day during a Las Vegas concert while he sang his hit song Without You.

Urban last shared a photo of his wife on his Instagram account on May 10 to celebrate his awarding of the Triple Crown Award at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Meanwhile, Kidman marked their 19th wedding anniversary in June with a post on her account. “Happy Anniversary Baby ❤️ @KeithUrban,” she wrote alongside a black and white photo of the pair.

Nicole Kidman’s life and career in photos

Cracks emerge 

But their loved up appearances in public and on Instagram accounts seemingly dried up several months ago, right when new reports suggest the couple started having problems.

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The two last made a red carpet appearance at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 8, where they appeared as loving as ever.

The following month, they were pictured together at the Los Angeles Football Club vs Esperance de Tunis FIFA Club World Cup match in Nashville on June 20.

It was easy to assume their lack of public appearances was the result of them being busy working – Urban is in the midst of his High and Alive World Tour while Kidman has been busy filming Practical Magic 2 from July to September 13 on location in England and the US state of New England.

But there was also another hint there were problems in the marriage, with Kidman’s applying for a residence permit in July so she could buy a home in Portugal.

Urban’s name was conspicuously absent from the application.

Split reports

Now with reports they have split, it seems the couple’s 20-year union is over.

While TMZ was first to break the news, People has since confirmed the rumours are true and that Urban has moved out of the marital home in Nashville and is living nearby.

“What the sources are saying is that she is doing her best to keep stability while Keith is in a different home,” entertainment reporter Segun Oduolowu told Nine’s Today this morning.

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