Keith Urban has opened up about one thing that marriage to Nicole Kidman apart before they separated.

After almost two decades of marriage, the couple, who share two daughters, Sunday Rose (17) and Faith Margaret (14), have reportedly ended their relationship.

The news of their separation has left many in shock, with sources close to the couple pointing to growing tension over the past few months.

Although they made efforts to maintain their bond, including the 58-year-old actress' public displays of affection on social media, the couple has been living apart since June, according to The Guardian.

Keith Urban Opens Up About Marriage Struggles

Before the separation was announced, the 'Blue Ain't Your Color' singer had made a vulnerable confession about the struggles in his marriage to Kidman.

In a heartfelt speech at the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute in June 2024, Urban revealed that his battle with addiction nearly tore their marriage apart just months after their wedding.

“We got married in 2006, and barely four months into our marriage, the addictions that I had done really nothing about blew our marriage to smithereens,” he said. “Four months into a marriage, and I'm in rehab for three months with no idea what was going to happen to us."

Urban went on to praise his wife for standing by him during those challenging times: “Nic pushed through every negative voice. I'm sure even some of her own, and she chose love."

"And here we are tonight, 18 years later. Her capacity to love is like no one I've ever met,” he added, visibly emotional.

Strain Over Nicole’s On-Screen Roles

While the 57-year-old's past struggles with addiction were a significant source of tension early in their relationship, recent challenges seem to have stemmed from a different issue.

Sources close to the couple indicate that the final straw was related to Urban’s discomfort with some of Big Little Lies actress' more intimate roles in recent films, particularly her love scenes with younger actors like Zac Efron in A Family Affair.

This tension became apparent in June when Urban reacted strongly during a radio interview.

The host, Max Burford, casually asked: “What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron, having these beautiful love scenes on TV?”

The country star's response was immediate and pointed - he ended the interview abruptly.

The hosts were shocked by his reaction, with Burford commenting: “I thought we were vibing with Keith,” while co-host Hayley Pearson added, “He hates us. I knew that was going to happen.”

Growing Distance and Public Discontent

While the radio interview was a public moment of tension, sources close to the couple say that Urban’s concerns went beyond media scrutiny.

“The intimacy isn’t there; they are just going through the motions,” a source explained, per The Mirror. "Keith had to call her out that he isn’t happy. She was blindsided by this."

“There was a lot of love between the two, and they might not divorce. They’ve been together for decades, so there is a world where they can reconcile. But as things stand now, they are not a couple,” an insider added.

Featured image credit: Taylor Hill / Getty

Keith Urban had an angry response to a question about Nicole Kidman’s sex scenes before it was reported that they had split.

After almost two decades of marriage, the once-strong relationship between the A-list stars has reportedly come to an end.

The separation, which has shocked many fans, follows a growing rift that seems to have reached a boiling point earlier this year.

Sources close to the couple suggest that the tension between the two began to build in June, when the 57-year-old country star expressed his dissatisfaction with Kidman’s racy roles in recent films.

The Radio Interview Incident

In a highly publicized moment, Urban’s frustration became apparent when he abruptly ended a radio interview after being asked about his wife’s love scenes with Zac Efron in the film A Family Affair.

The radio host, Max Burford, had casually asked: “What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron, having these beautiful love scenes on TV?”

The 'Blue Ain't Your Color' singer's reaction was swift and pointed - he ended the interview on the spot, with a crew member heard saying that they were “pulling the chat” due to discomfort with the line of questioning.

The hosts were left bewildered, with Burford commenting, “I thought we were vibing with Keith.” Co-host Hayley Pearson added: “He hates us. I knew that was going to happen.”

The incident, which occurred just after their 19th wedding anniversary, is believed to have further strained the couple’s already troubled relationship.

While Kidman, 58, has been starring in numerous films where her character’s romantic life takes center stage, including A Family Affair and Babygirl, her husband's reaction to her on-screen love scenes appears to have fueled more serious issues between them.

A source close to the couple has since revealed that Urban’s concerns go beyond the media interviews and onto a more personal level.

"The intimacy isn't there, they are just going through the motions," they explained, per The Mirror. "Keith had to call her out that he isn’t happy. She was blindsided by this.

Living Apart and Fighting to Save the Marriage

The couple, who have two children together - 17-year-old Sunday Rose and 14-year-old Faith Margaret - have been living apart since June, according to The Guardian.

Urban is said to have moved out of the couple’s Nashville home, leaving the Big Little Lies star reportedly desperate to salvage their marriage.

Despite their efforts to reconcile, including Kidman’s public displays of affection toward her husband on social media, a source told PEOPLE that she “didn’t want this” and has been “fighting to save the marriage".

The timing of the split has led some to believe that the couple's professional commitments may have contributed to the unraveling of their personal bond. Still, there is a sense that reconciliation remains possible.

"There was a lot of love between the two and they might not divorce. They been together for decades so there is a world which they can reconcile, but the way their pairing is now, they are not a couple," the source added.

Featured image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

Keith Urban and his wife Nicole Kidman have split up after 19 years together, but the cracks may have started appearing before then. 

A resurfaced comment made by Urban to journalists last year might have hinted at something else going on in the celebrity pair’s relationship. 

The latest news on the couple’s pending divorce has just confirmed something that may have been in the post. 

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were married for 19 years

Musician Urban and his movie star wife were the darlings of Hollywood for nearly two decades. 

The pair - despite having disagreements over some of Kidman’s steamier scenes - appeared to be a pretty strong couple. 

Even comments from one of her youthful co-stars couldn’t derail them. 

Until now, that is. 

With the pair separated and set to divorce, which could prove to be an interesting legal battle if claims about a ‘cocaine clause’ in the agreement are to be believed, minds have been cast back to earlier encounters with the pair, and to whether the signs were there to read, despite not being immediately clear. 

In the case of one journalist from The Times, the comment was simply: “I just don’t want to give you guys a headline about my wife.”

According to Times commissioning editor for culture and books Ed Potton: “The signs were there, flashing in neon, when I spoke to Keith Urban a year ago. 

“Sitting in his sunlit garden in Nashville, the country singer was charm personified until the conversation turned (well, until I turned it) to Nicole Kidman, his much more famous spouse.”

Potton continued: “Urban chatted engagingly about the album he was plugging, But soon as Kidman’s name came up, however, the shield was raised.⁠”

Why have Kidman and Urban split up after all this time?

The pair, who share two daughters, have reportedly been living apart for months before this news emerged, and Urban has spoken candidly in the past about problems he faced with addiction. 

In a heartfelt speech at a June 2024 gala, he said: “We got married in 2006, and barely four months into our marriage, 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.”

He added: “Nic pushed through every negative voice. I'm sure even some of her own, and she chose love."

However, the strain over roles that Kidman played - often ones that included sex scenes - took a toll on their relationship. 

He even ended an interview earlier this year because of a question about his wife’s work, specifically with Zac Efron. 

Papers filed in Nashville report that the pair eventually decided to split because of ‘marital difficulties and irreconcilable difficulties’.

A parenting plan document states: “The mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent, and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced,

“They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. 

“They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”

Featured image credit: John Shearer/Getty

Keith Urban reportedly had a furious reaction to questions about Nicole Kidman’s on-screen sex scenes, just months before their separation was confirmed.

The country music star and the Oscar-winning actress were once considered one of Hollywood’s most solid couples, but after nearly two decades together, sources now say their marriage has come to an end.

Radio interview sparks speculation

Reports suggest cracks began to show in June, when Urban, 57, was asked about Kidman’s romantic scenes with Zac Efron in her Netflix rom-com A Family Affair.

During a radio interview, host Max Burford casually asked (via Sky News): “What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron, having these beautiful love scenes on TV?”

The question didn’t go down well.

Urban immediately ended the interview, with someone on his team heard saying they were “pulling the chat” due to his discomfort.

Burford later admitted he thought they had been “vibing” with the singer, while co-host Hayley Pearson bluntly added: “He hates us.

"I knew that was going to happen.”

The incident came just weeks after Urban and Kidman celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary, and is now believed to have deepened the rift between them.

Zac Efron's warning

Kidman's A Family Affair co-star, Efron, even hinted at being "in love" with Kidman, stating at Kidman's Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony shortly after the release of their film: "I had a huge, huge crush on [Kidman]" before playfully warning: "And Keith, don't get mad, we all do, I don't know what to tell you man."

He then finished off by saying: "You won."

“The intimacy isn’t there.”

Kidman, 58, has taken on a string of roles in recent years that feature steamy love scenes, including A Family Affair and Babygirl.

While she has often laughed off questions about how Urban feels, insiders say the reality behind the scenes was more complicated.

“The intimacy isn’t there; they’re just going through the motions,” a source told The Mirror.

“Keith had to call her out that he isn’t happy.

"She was blindsided by this.”

According to reports, the pair have been living apart since June.

Urban is said to have moved out of their Nashville home, while Kidman has reportedly been trying to patch things up, according to The Guardian.

Fighting for their marriage

The couple share two daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14.

Despite their separation, friends claim Kidman has been “fighting to save the marriage”, even sharing public posts of affection toward Urban on social media in an effort to quiet speculation.

But for now, it appears the couple’s long union is on shaky ground.

“There was a lot of love between the two, and they might not divorce,” a source told PEOPLE.

“They’ve been together for decades, so reconciliation is possible.

"But as things stand right now, they’re not a couple.”

Featured image credit: Charley Gallay / Getty Images.