Oct. 1, 2025 | Published 4:57 p.m. ET
Nicole Kidman has famously faced heartbreak before. As her 19-year marriage to Keith Urban appears to be collapsing, memories of her split from Tom Cruise have resurfaced – a break-up RadarOnline.com has all the details on.
Nicole Kidman’s Marriage to Tom Cruise
Decades earlier, Kidman’s marriage to Cruise also ended abruptly after 11 years together, leaving her reeling. A source revealed, “Nicole believed everything with Tom was ideal, so when he filed for divorce it completely blindsided her. She had relied on him so much that the breakup was devastating.”
Kidman and Cruise first met in 1989 while filming Days of Thunder. They married a year later and adopted daughter Isabella, now 32, and son Connor, 30, during their time together. However, in 2001, Cruise filed for divorce, reportedly citing irreconcilable differences.
Healing After the Divorce
Reflecting years later, Kidman said, “I thought our life together was perfect. It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system. We were in a bubble, just the two of us.”
She added, “We became very dependent on one another. I was reeling with Tom. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him… I was totally smitten – I fell madly, passionately in love.”
Kidman also admitted her age influenced her view of the marriage. “I was a child, really, when I got married,” she said. “And I needed to grow up.”
Reports have long linked their split to Kidman’s unwillingness to commit to the Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a member. Former church spokesman Mike Rinder claimed in his memoir that Scientology influenced the break-up, though the church has denied this.
The organization has also been cited in Cruise’s later divorce from Katie Holmes, who allegedly wanted to protect their daughter, Suri, now 17, from the institution.
Cruise is said to remain affected by his divorce from Kidman. A Hollywood source claimed he avoided the 2023 Oscars to sidestep a public reunion. The source said, “Tom skipped the event because Nicole was attending. He wanted to avoid crossing paths with her.”
At the time of their split, photographs appeared to show Kidman jubilant as she left her lawyer’s office with her arms raised. The image later became a meme. But Kidman has since dismissed the interpretation of that moment, saying, “That was not me. That was for a film. That wasn’t real life, I know that image!”
She also reflected on how viral images rarely tell the whole story, recalling another picture of her applauding awkwardly because she was wearing a heavy borrowed ring.
Moving On With Keith Urban
After her divorce from Cruise, Kidman married Keith Urban in 2006 in Sydney. However, insiders say the couple has struggled in recent years.
One source shared, “Keith and Nicole rarely cross paths – she’s tied up with filming while he’s out on tour. There’s love between them still, and they might not go through with a divorce, but at this point, they aren’t living like a couple.”
