Nicole Kidman shows off defiant new look after rocky divorce – as she opens up on love, moving on and Tom Cruise

SHE is a picture of Hollywood poise – but inside Nicole Kidman feared for the future after the end of her marriage to country singer Keith Urban. They seemed to be one of showbiz’s most enduring couples, balancing their private lives with hugely successful careers. Nicole Kidman has revealed her defiant new look and bleach blonde locks as she opened up on the uncertainty of her next life chapter The screen star revealed her split with country singer Keith Urban last year Credit: Getty So when Oscar-winner Nicole called time on their 19-year union last September, it sent shockwaves through celebrity circles. Even though it was the actress who lodged the papers in Nashville to end the marriage, Nicole reveals she had never imagined their romance would crumble. Sign up for the Showbiz newsletter Thank you! In the cover interview for the September issue of British Vogue, Nicole, 59, said: “I’m like, ‘OK, I didn’t expect this. I had a different view of what my life was going to be, but this is what it is now’. “You make all these plans and you have all these ideas of what it’s all going to be like and then it’s . . . not. Read more on Nicole Kidman “You have to adjust. You adapt. The future, it’s completely unknown to me right now . . . Strange.” Attempting to sum up how she felt at the time of her marriage split, she said: “Free falling? Jumping off? Like, where am I going? And what’s next?” She added: “There was a point where I was very fearful and deeply vulnerable, which is exposing. “And then at the same time, [I’m] going, ‘Well, I can either really not confront it and just curl up, or I can just go forward with an enormous amount of hope’.” Most read in Showbiz The Hours star admitted she felt ‘deeply vulnerable’ after her split with Keith, and said the situation felt ‘exposing’ Credit: Getty She married fellow actor Tom Cruise in 1990, with their relationship lasting 11 years Credit: Getty Aussie Nicole met New Zealand-born Keith, 58, at a glittering G’Day LA event in Los Angeles in 2005 and, after a whirlwind 18-month romance, they married. The couple went on to have daughters Sunday, 18, and Faith, 15, and travelled the world, with homes in Nashville, Beverly Hills, Australia, New York and London. But in the weeks and months after their separation, various reports suggested Keith had already moved on with a new woman. He was linked to his guitarist Maggie Baugh after a video emerged of him changing the words to his song The Fighter on stage. Instead of singing, “When they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter,” he sang, “When they’re tryna get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player.” Maggie’s father denied they were involved, but it cannot have been easy for Nicole. Her divorce from Keith was swift, finalised by January, with irreconcilable differences cited as the reason behind it. They agreed to share custody of their children and not to pay spousal support to each other, keeping the whole thing out of court. But Nicole has had some soul searching to do. She explained: “It requires time and I have had so many older women in my life who are incredible mentors. “I had my mother and then I have another woman who sort of helped raise me since I was 16. “Part of the way they approach life was sometimes [to say to me]: ‘Nicole, you just got to take it on the chin’. “Once you accept that, instead of going, ‘Well that’s not fair’ or ‘It’s unjust’, you go, ‘Well, yes, actually it isn’t fair. Because things are not fair’. Nicole in Practical Magic 2 Credit: Alamy Nicole with daughters Sunday, left, and Faith at an Oscars bash in March Credit: Getty “I know my character. I know my talent. I know who I am. If I make a mistake and it doesn’t connect, or something goes wrong in my life where it’s humiliating, it’s OK. “Other people have had that and that’s OK. Take the onus off it.” Last summer, weeks before filing for divorce, Nicole was in London shooting Practical Magic 2 — the follow-up to her 1998 fantasy film with Sandra Bullock about jinxed sisters whose partners die as soon as they fall for them — and their efforts to break their curse. And she needed the laughs after working on heavy material such as 2024 erotic thriller Babygirl and last year’s psychological drama Holland. But Nicole said: “Families have secrets. They have things that you’re trying to protect your children from. So how do you do that? Or should you be doing that?” Despite the emotional rollercoaster of the past year, the heartache of a two-decade relationship crumbling has not put Nicole off love. In fact, quite the opposite. She explained: “I’ve always wanted to live a well-examined life, so what does that entail? “Trying things, making mistakes, failing, getting back up, moving on, embracing love, staying open, keeping the heart open and the possibilities.” Perhaps, then, it is no surprise that in recent weeks, Nicole has been romantically linked to a new man — a private equity boss named Michael Reinstein, said to be worth more than £250million. They were seen sipping cocktails together by a pool in Portofino, Italy, last month. And days later, he was pictured picking her up in his Ferrari from an airport in Los Angeles. But it’s fair to say her split from Keith was not her first heartbreak, following her highly publicised 2001 divorce from Mission: Impossible superstar Tom Cruise, 64. Nicole at a basketball game in 2004 with children Connor and Bella Credit: Getty Businessman Michael Reinstein, who Nicole has been linked to Credit: Facebook They met on the set of 1990 movie Days Of Thunder and got married that year, adopting daughter Bella and son Connor. Nicole later said their relationship ended because she “was a child” who “needed to grow up”. But as for whether it has been any easier dealing with the fallout of a second divorce, she said with a laugh: “It’s all new. Every time.” Even 25 years on, it’s clear Tom had a profound effect on her and made her adept at dealing with the intense spotlight that comes with being a major celebrity. Nicole, who had only starred in a handful of films before meeting Tom, said: “I got married so young. Suddenly I was 22, 23 years old and I had this huge movie-star husband. But it just seemed completely natural. “We just fell madly in love and it was that simple. I remember people saying to me, ‘OK, well this is really going to affect your career’. I’m like, ‘I don’t care. I’m in love. I want to be married’. “And then I was his ‘wife’ and they were like, ‘See, we told you’. I’m like, ‘So what? I wasn’t meant to marry the man I love? Of course I’ll throw my career away. I don’t care’.” Her romance with Tom did not hamper her career, though. During their marriage, Nicole went on to appear in big-budget flicks including Batman Forever, Eyes Wide Shut — alongside her then-husband — and Moulin Rouge! Since then, she has become one of the most prolific and celebrated stars in cinema. She won Best Actress at the Oscars in 2003 for her portrayal of writer Virginia Woolf in The Hours. She also appeared in films including Australia, Paddington, Lion, Aquaman and Being The Ricardos. Nicole said: “I just think there are some people who are wired to work. I just am.” She added: “I do have a sort of mind-over-matter thing. I have it with pain. They say redheads feel pain more, but I’m known to be able to push through. It all hurts a lot and you still keep going.” Four decades on screen does not stop Nicole going incognito when she wants to. She revealed she has been having a “Euro summer”, including a getaway to the world’s party capital, Ibiza, where she loves a “rave” in disguise. Asked what a night out looks like for her, Nicole said: “Dinner at 10.30pm, club at 1am. I’ll put on glasses. Sometimes I’ll wear a wig to hide, a little dark wig, and then I can just dance. “As long as I’m surrounded by people — I take people with me — then I’m fine. I need it.” Nicole told British Vogue her future is ‘completely unknown’ Credit: Venetia Scott Comment now