Nicole Kidman, 59, Opens Up About Life After Keith Urban and the Warning She Got Before Marrying Tom Cruise — Photos

Nicole Kidman is looking back on some of the biggest turning points of her life as she begins a new chapter — but one decision she made at just 22 came with a warning she was determined to ignore. Now, after another major change in her personal life, the actress is revealing what it feels like to face a future she never expected.

From a whirlwind marriage to Tom Cruise to her painful split from Keith Urban, the actress has plenty to look back on. Nicole Kidman is stepping into a new chapter with her heart open, but her latest interview shows just how much of her past still informs the woman she is today.

The 59-year-old actress is the cover star of British Vogue's September 2026 issue, where she sat down with Giles Hattersley in London for a wide-ranging conversation about her career, family, fashion and the changes in her personal life.

Kidman Is Entering a Very Different Chapter

In the British Vogue interview, Kidman comes across as remarkably relaxed despite the enormous attention that has followed her for decades. At one point, she jokingly describes herself as "stealth," explaining that she has become good at moving through cities without attracting too much attention.

That has not stopped her from enjoying an unusually busy summer. Kidman revealed that she had been traveling between London, Ibiza, Paris and Portofino, calling it her "Euro summer."

She even found herself unexpectedly onstage with a band in Portofino, tambourine in hand, while also making time for Wimbledon and London theater outings.

Her connection to fashion is deeply rooted in her upbringing, with the actress crediting her mother and grandmother — both skilled seamstresses and embroiderers — for showing her that a love of beautiful clothes could exist alongside an intellectual life.

That lifelong passion was on full display at the Chanel Cruise show in Biarritz in April, where she turned heads in a black column dress and tiny sunglasses.

But when Hattersley asked how she manages to appear so at ease when all eyes are on her, Kidman traced that confidence back to something that happened when she was barely out of her teens.

"Strangely enough, I feel comfortable. Is that weird? That's so weird," she said, laughing. "But you have to remember, literally, because of who I married at such a young age, I was thrust into it since I was 22."

Suddenly, cameras, flashbulbs, and fashion were unavoidable parts of her life, and the actress was constantly aware that people were watching her.

Although Kidman said she is naturally shy, years of living in that environment have made stepping into the spotlight feel almost instinctive. "[My life has been] more time like that than not. My memory of it not being that is quite blurry, because I was really young."

She Was Only 22 When Everything Changed

That transformation in Kidman's life began around the same time she married Cruise, whom she met while establishing herself in Hollywood.

"Yeah, I got married so young," she recalled. "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."

The marriage lasted a decade, and Kidman said the experience changed not only her personal life but also the way the public viewed her career. That is where a piece of advice she received at the time becomes particularly interesting.

The Warning Kidman Refused to Take

People around Kidman apparently worried that marrying Cruise could have consequences for her career. The actress remembered being warned that becoming Cruise's wife could overshadow her professionally — a concern she had little interest in entertaining while she was in love:

"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."

The irony is hard to miss now. Decades later, Kidman has one of the most recognizable careers in Hollywood, with an Oscar, major film and television roles, and a reputation for taking on projects that constantly reinvent her.

Then Came Kidman's Second Marriage – And Another Unexpected Ending

Kidman's second marriage was to country music star Urban, whom she married in 2006. The couple spent 19 years together and raised two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, before Kidman filed for divorce from Urban in Nashville last September.

According to Vogue, the divorce was finalized in January 2026, with "irreconcilable differences" cited. The former couple agreed to shared custody, neither sought spousal support, and neither had to appear in court.

Kidman did not delve into what caused the marriage to end. Instead, she spoke about what it has been like to find herself facing a future she never expected.

Kidman Is Facing a Future She Never Saw Coming

When asked how she would describe this period of her life, Kidman initially considered phrases such as "Free falling?" and "Jumping off?" Then she settled on a much simpler question:

"Like, where am I going? And what's next?"

She acknowledged that the past year has not been easy, particularly because the life she imagined for herself did not turn out as planned.

"But at the same time 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. You have to adjust. You adapt. The future, it's completely unknown to me right now." She paused, then added, "Strange."

During the interview, Kidman also admitted that, "There was a point where I was very fearful and deeply vulnerable, which is exposing. And then at the same time [I'm] going," she said. "Well, I can either really not confront it and just curl up, or I can just go forward with an enormous amount of hope."

She went on, "It requires time, and I have had so many older women in my life who are incredible mentors," she says. "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," she added.

Kidman was also asked whether having experienced a highly publicized divorce before had given her any useful preparation for navigating another major breakup.

She Says Every Breakup Feels Completely New

Her reaction was immediate. "It's all new." When asked if she meant every time, she laughed and replied, "Every time!" Rather than suggesting that age or experience had made this particular transition easier, Kidman emphasized that she is still learning how to handle whatever life puts in front of her.

"I've approached my whole life like that," she said of her tendency to lead with her feelings. "That's just who I am. I don't overthink things, and I'm probably not that analytical."

"I'm far more feeling-centered, and I lead with my heart. I just go, 'OK, what do I feel here? I'll give it a go.' It throws people, because I think they think I'll be far more measured and I'm not," she continued.

She said she wants to continue living with an openness to mistakes, failure, love and possibility.

"I can still approach things intellectually," she continued, "but my desire is not to be ruled by my head. 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."

Her Children Remain at the Center of Everything

For all the uncertainty surrounding her personal life, Kidman made one thing clear: her children remain her priority. She described family as "an extraordinary purpose" and said everything else becomes secondary when it comes to her children.

Her message to them is simple and reassuring. "'It's OK, we're here. You've got people who love you, who are going to hold your hand and get through it.'"

That perspective is especially notable given Kidman's complicated history with her two older adopted children, Isabella and Connor Cruise, whom she shares with the "Mission: Impossible" actor.

In a previous interview, Kidman has said, "I'm very private about all that. I have to protect all those relationships. I know 150 percent that I would give up my life for my children because it’s what my purpose is."

Speaking specifically about her adopted children, she added, "They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists, and as a mother, it's my job to love them."

She continued, "And I am an example of that tolerance, and that's what I believe – that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I'm open here."

The Family History Has Always Been Complicated

Kidman's relationship with her adopted children has remained largely outside the public eye.

In a previous Hollywood Reporter interview, she similarly declined to publicly discuss the family's private dynamics, saying, "I've chosen not to speak publicly about Scientology. I have two children [adopted with Cruise] who are Scientologists — Connor [the Red Dawn actor is now 17] and Isabella [20] — and I utterly respect their beliefs."

That history makes what happened after Kidman's latest British Vogue appearance particularly noticeable.

Kindman's Adopted Daughter Makes a Quiet Move After Her Mother's Vogue Reveal

After British Vogue shared its post promoting Kidman's September cover and interview, the actress's adopted daughter appeared to show support for her mother in a subtle way: She liked the post.

The post described Kidman as "spellbinding" and promoted the interview as a conversation about "power moves, mega fashion and the art of a fresh start."

The accompanying image showed Kidman standing in a doorway, one hand resting above her head as she looked directly into the camera. She wore a white funnel-neck top beneath a blue-and-red sweatshirt, straight-leg jeans, brown heels and sunglasses, with a handbag tucked behind her shoulder.

Kidman herself marked the Vogue cover with a message of her own on August 13, writing, "What an honor, thank you for my first @britishvogue cover @chiomannadi @venetialscott @gileshattersley @sergiokletnoy @poppykain @hairbyadir @fulviafarolfi."

The Vogue moment also comes after Nicole Kidman's May 10 Mother's Day post, in which she celebrated her daughters with the "But for the Grace of God" musician. She captioned the post, "To my beautiful girls, the greatest joy is being your mother. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in the world. 🩷🩷🩷"

Kidman Is Looking Forward, Even Without Knowing Exactly Where She Is Going

She has returned to a perfume she had not worn since her early 20s, immersed herself in poetry and art, traveled through Europe, spent time with her daughters and continued working at a remarkable pace. She is also preparing for the release of "Practical Magic 2," nearly three decades after the original film became a cult favorite.

But beneath the fashion, movie promotion, and glamorous summer snapshots, her British Vogue interview reveals something much more personal: Kidman is learning to live with uncertainty without letting it close her off.

"I know my character. I know my talent. I know who I am," she said. "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."