After 19 years of marriage, the news is out that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have reportedly separated, a shock no one saw coming for a couple who always seemed to be the real deal.
For almost two decades, they were Hollywood’s gold standard for true love, which is rare in show business, where celebrity flings and splits are more common.
Their story was more of a slow burn than a whirlwind romance.
After meeting at a 2005 gala in Los Angeles, Urban waited four months before calling Kidman.
During an interview with an Australian talk show, he admitted that he didn’t think she would be interested in a guy like him.
The couple tied the knot in June 2006 in Sydney. However, just a few months after the wedding, Urban, who has a history of substance abuse, entered rehab.
He has often credited the “Babygirl” star with saving his life, calling her a woman with “the capacity to love like no one I’ve ever met.”
They built a life together, raising two daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, while making Nashville their home.
For years, they were the couple everyone kept an eye on whenever they walked the red carpet, a couple that seemed to have figured out the secret to making a high-profile marriage work.
In recent months, though, with Urban on tour and Kidman filming overseas, their demanding schedules kept them apart and cracks began to show.
While the Oscar winner shared a sweet anniversary post in June, writing, “Happy Anniversary Baby,” sources say the split was initiated by Urban, leaving Kidman “blindsided.”
Kidman was previously married to actor Tom Cruise for 11 years. The pair, one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples in the 1990s, adopted two children.
In 2001, Cruise filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The end of their marriage came as a shock to many and was widely publicised.
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