How Nicole Kidman’s steamy movie romps with young hunks ‘sparked fury’ from ‘insecure’ Keith Urban ahead of sudden split

THEY were seemingly one of the strongest couples in Hollywood, married for almost two decades and never shy of showing their affection for each other on the red carpet.

But while the news of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s separation rocked the showbiz world today, signs were there that tensions had been brewing for a while.

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Nicole and Keith at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in 2009[/caption]

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Nicole Kidman and co-star Harris Dickinson during a sensual scene in Babygirl[/caption]

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Bizarrely, Babygirl is also Keith’s nickname for his wife[/caption]

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Nicole starred alongside Zac Efron in raunchy Netflix flick A Family Affair last year[/caption]

Arguably since her racy role in erotic thriller Babygirl – which is incidentally country music singer Keith’s nickname for his wife, tattooed on his neck – Aussie actress Nicole, 58, has, like her character, undergone something of a sexual reawakening.

In it she plays a high-powered, married CEO who falls for a kinky young intern, with the pair engaging in a BDSM-fuelled affair which saw Nicole strip completely naked.

Describing the film as “releasing”, she said in an interview last year: “A lot of times women are discarded at a certain period of their career as a sexual being. So it was really beautiful to be seen in this way.”

Though its passionate sex scenes took their toll on the star emotionally, with Nicole admitting: “There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more. 

“Don’t come near me. I hate doing this. I don’t care if I am never touched again in my life! I’m over it.

“There were parts that are now not in the film that we shot that gave me… it was exhausting, but it was also just emotionally disturbing.

“The same when I was doing Big Little Lies. That was disturbing to my body and my psyche, because I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.”

Her on-screen trysts with hunky younger co-star Harris Dickinson, 29, came hot on the heels of her sizzling scenes with Zac Efron, 37, in Netflix film A Family Affair.

The film’s director Richard LaGravenese said of their undeniable chemistry: “They were very comfortable with each other, Nic and Zac. They know what they’re doing. They had no inhibitions about it. They just went for it, and it was great.”

Tellingly Keith, 57, reacted furiously to questions about his wife’s dalliances on screen during a radio interview last summer.

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The couple were last seen together at a FIFA Club World Cup match in June[/caption]

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The couple pictured together at the Emmy Awards in 2017[/caption]

When asked: “What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron, having these beautiful love scenes?” the singer refused to reply and swiftly ended the Zoom call. 

The show’s host, Hayley Pearson, said afterwards: “He hates us – I knew that was going to happen. I’ve had this feeling that they don’t like these personal questions at all.”

The intimate question may well have hit a nerve, with in-demand Hollywood star Nicole’s long absences from home believed to have created distance between the couple.

A source said: “Keith never sees Nicole, either she is filming or he is on tour.”

A Hollywood source told The Sun: “Keith put a brave face on Nicole’s raunchy screen roles and all the comments she’d make about her sexuality. 

There were times when we were shooting where I was like, ‘I don’t want to orgasm any more’

Nicole Kidman

“But he didn’t react well when people teased him about Nicole getting it on with hunky younger guys, albeit only on camera, and it was a sensitive topic that became a real issue as time wore on. 

“Yes, he knew what he was getting into when he married a superstar, but there was always a lingering sense to a lot of folk that he was shoe-horning himself into a life that ultimately didn’t suit him.”

‘Agreement’

Keith has also been away for much of the year on his High and Alive World Tour, while Nicole and the kids spent the summer in London while she filmed the sequel to her 1998 movie Practical Magic. 

Nicole has previously spoken of the “agreement” between her and Keith which lets them both pursue their artistic careers.

“Unfortunately, when you have a family at home and everything, there has to be a sort of agreement that’s made where you go, ‘I’m now going to go into this and I’m asking your permission to let me go’,” she said.

“And I have teenage children who understand it and a husband who’s also an artist. So there’s a releasing of you into your artistic life and then you come back to your home and your real life. But there is a sort of letting go that’s required.”

There’s a releasing of you into your artistic life and then you come back to your home and your real life. But there is a sort of letting go that’s required

Nicole Kidman

A source told Women’s Day the couple “do make an effort to speak every day when they’re apart, but it’s shocking how much time they’ve spent apart since Nicole’s mother died last September“.

It is currently still unknown what led to the pair’s separation. Sources claim that it was not Nicole’s idea, with her “blindsided” by it as she had been wanting to save their relationship.

Reports claim that sources have said Keith initiated the split on the grounds of being unhappy, with one telling the Daily Mail: “The intimacy isn’t there, they are just going through the motions [of being married].

“If this separation gets them back together, that would be amazing, but Keith had to call her out that he isn’t happy.”

The couple were last seen together publicly in June this year, when they were pictured attending a FIFA World Cup match near their home.

‘Pressure’

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While Nicole has garnered attention for her recent saucy roles, her husband has also been turning heads with his noticeably younger looks.

After his appearance at the Country Music Awards in Texas in May, there was speculation he had undergone a series of ‘tweakments’.

Cosmetic surgeon Gerard Lambe, a spokesperson for industry body BAAPS and member of the Royal College of Surgeons, said he believes he’s had an eye lift as well as a “micro face lift and jaw line filler to give him a more masculine defined, chiselled face shape”.

“There’s a lot of pressure to look good for his age. For a 57-year-old he is ‘well preserved’ – which is basically a diplomatic way of saying he’s had some very good plastic surgery and tweaks,” he told The Sun.

“In old pictures, Keith’s upper and lower lids are puffy and certainly in images from around six years ago or so he has the start of heavy, drooping upper lids.

“Blepharoplasty surgery – an upper or lower eye lift – is one of the most popular procedures among men. The result is a fresher, youthful look as it rejuvenates the eyes by removing excess skin, fat, and muscle from the eyelids, reducing signs of fatigue.

“Keith has always had a terrific head of hair but there appears to be a lowering of his hairline in more recent images and I would suspect he’s had possibly some hair transplantation to maintain his thick mane of hair.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a very skilled surgeon has done forehead reduction surgery too as his looks slightly lower.

“Keith may have had some skin plumping and refining aesthetic treatments too as his complexion is red and sun-beaten in old photographs.”

Could this “pressure” to look good stem from his wife repeatedly being cast in sexy roles alongside younger men? Dr Lalitaa Suglani, a relationship expert for eharmony, seems to think so.

“As men age, they often experience changes in both their physical and mental selves such as shifts in appearance, vitality, and sometimes career trajectory,” she told The Sun.

Being married to one of the most beautiful women on the planet was a lot of pressure on Keith and it took a toll on his insecurity levels

Insider

“In cultures where masculinity is closely tied to youth, strength or professional success, these natural changes can trigger self-doubt, insecurity and struggles with self-image.

“Men may compare themselves to younger peers or to their own younger selves, creating a sense of diminished masculinity. Some men may even feel they are no longer perceived as masculine in the traditional sense. 

“These insecurities can spill over into relationships. Some men withdraw emotionally, fearing they are no longer desirable; others may seek external validation or excitement to counter feelings of decline.

“Partners may feel confused, neglected, or hurt, particularly if these changes aren’t openly discussed. Without communication, emotional distance can grow, straining even long-standing relationships.”

One insider told The Sun: “Being married to one of the most beautiful women on the planet was a lot of pressure on Keith and it took a toll on his insecurity levels.”

Tragic loss

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Nicole and Keith at their 2006 wedding in Sydney, Australia[/caption]

Only four months ago, Nicole told how “fortunate” she felt to be approaching their 20-year wedding anniversary and how much she hoped her marriage would endure as long as her beloved parents.

But, exactly a year after she lost her mother Janelle, Keith moved out of the family home they shared with daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, in Nashville, Tennessee and is believed to have acquired his own place.

Their marriage hasn’t always been plain-sailing. Four months after tying the knot in June 2006 they almost split when he relapsed. At Nicole’s urging, Keith checked himself into rehab for drug and alcohol issues.

“I was very, very blessed to have Nic call an intervention on me,” he said in the past, adding that his behaviour “caused the implosion of my fresh marriage”.

He said that moment was a turning point, adding: “She seemed well out of my league at that time in my life.

‘I was not in a great place at my life, struggling with a lot of things, not in a million years would someone like that see anything in me.

“The addictions that I had done really nothing about blew our marriage to smithereens. Four months into a marriage, and I’m in rehab for three months with no idea what was going to happen to us.

‘Nic pushed through every negative voice – I’m sure even some of her own – and she chose love. Her capacity to love is like no one I’ve ever met.” 

Nic pushed through every negative voice – I’m sure even some of her own – and she chose love. Her capacity to love is like no one I’ve ever met

Keith Urban

The couple weathered another storm in December 2006 when model Amanda Wyatt claimed Keith had cheated on Nicole with her multiple times in the run-up up to their wedding.

Nicole’s first marriage was to Tom Cruise, after they met while filming Days of Thunder when she was just 23.

They adopted two children – daughter Isabella Rose in 1992 and son Connor in 1995 – but Tom filed for divorce in 2001 amid speculation that they clashed over his devotion to Scientology.

She went on to date rocker Lenny Kravitz, but the romance fizzled out and she met Urban in 2005.

Neither Keith nor Nicole have spoken out about their alleged separation.

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Keith and Nicole with their daughters Faith Margaret and Sunday Rose in 2017[/caption]

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Keith with daughters Faith Margaret, Sunday Rose Kidman, friend Sybella Hawley and Nicole in 2024[/caption]

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Keith, performing in London in 2007, has been sober for 20 years[/caption]

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Nicole and ex-husband Tom Cruise divorced in 2001[/caption]