Keith Urban has told friends his split from Nicole Kidman had been a “long time coming” – but those close to the actress tell RadarOnline.com she was left “blindsided” and struggling to accept the end of their 19-year marriage.
The couple, who used to be one of Hollywood’s most enduring pairings, confirmed their separation in late September.
Nicole ‘Blindsided’ by Sudden Split
Keith Urban told friends his split from Nicole Kidman was a long time coming.
Urban, 57, is understood to have moved out of their Nashville home, which he shared with Kidman, 58, and their daughters Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14.
A source close to the pair said: “Some things just end naturally.”
Friends of Moulin Rouge star Kidman insist she was caught off guard.
One insider told us: “Keith moved out and has really distanced himself from Nicole without giving much of a reason. He’s been telling friends this has been building for years and that they’ve been living separate lives for a while, but Nicole doesn’t see it that way. She feels totally blindsided and doesn’t understand how things unraveled so quickly.”
Another source said: “Nicole’s holding onto hope that there’s still a way back for them. She’s finding it incredibly hard. She doesn’t want a divorce, but Keith’s emotionally distant. He’s not showing any interest in repairing things, and she feels completely shut out.”
From Hollywood Love Story to Heartbreak
Nicole Kidman felt blindsided by the end of their 19-year marriage.
The pair met at the G’Day USA gala in Los Angeles in 2005 and married a year later in Sydney. Their relationship was long seen as one of Hollywood’s great love stories and a second chance at happiness for Kidman after her high-profile marriage to Top Gun actor Tom Cruise, 63, ended in 2001.
Kidman later said of that earlier relationship: “I was a child, really, when I got married.”
She shares two adult children, Bella, 32, and Connor, 30, with Cruise.
Urban has been open about his past struggles with addiction.
Earlier this year, he reflected: “All through the years of drinking and doing drugs and all the rest of it, I always had this very specific voice inside me that goes, ‘One day, you’re gonna come to a crossroads or a fork in the road, and it’ll be the final one.'”
Kidman’s Fears Over Keith’s Withdrawal
Urban moved out of their Nashville home in September.
He has credited Kidman with saving his life when she staged an intervention shortly after their wedding.
“That’s the point right there where she really should have walked,” Urban said in a 2010 interview. “I’m just so glad she didn’t. She made the decision to turn around and initiate ultimately this intervention, and it was done in such a way that the love in the room at that moment was just right.”
Now, friends say Kidman fears her estranged husband may be withdrawing from more than just their marriage.
One source said: “Nicole can’t help being concerned. Keith’s been distancing himself from people – even parting ways with bandmates he’s worked with for decades. Those close to him think there could be something more behind it.”
Signs of Trouble Behind the Scenes
Kidman applied for Portuguese citizenship without Urban’s name.
Speculation about tension between the pair grew earlier this year when Kidman applied for Portuguese citizenship – without Urban’s name on the documents.
Reports at the time suggested she had also begun looking at property in Lisbon, prompting questions about whether she was planning a move abroad alone.
A source said: “It came as a real surprise. They’d only just marked an anniversary and looked happy together, but they’ve always been skilled at presenting a united front. In private, though, things were clearly falling apart.”
Friends now say Kidman is trying to come to terms with the split. One insider said: “Nicole’s not ready to give up, but it seems Keith’s made his decision. After almost twenty years together, she truly believed they’d last. She’s heartbroken – and everyone close to them feels the same.”
