They were one of the hottest Hollywood couples of the 1990s, but ever since Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman called it quits in 2001, the Oscar-winning actress has stayed tight-lipped about her first marriage – until now.
“Being married to Tom Cruise at 22 is something I’m always reluctant to talk about, because I’m married now to the man who is my great love (Keith Urban), and it almost feels disrespectful.”
Speaking to New York Magazine, the Big Little Lies star opened up about how early on in her career she was spared from all-too common instances of sexual harassment due to Cruise’s star power.
“I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed.” (Images: Getty)
“That said, I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me — it was protection,” the star added. “I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed. I would work, but I was still very much cocooned. So when I came out of it at 32, 33, it’s almost like I had to grow up.”
Despite Cruise’s protection, the star also admitted to experiencing her own “#MeToo moments.”
“But do I want to expose them in an article? No. Do they come out in my work? Absolutely,” she added. “I’m open and raw. I want to have my well of experience and emotion tapped into ― used, and I’m not just talking about sexual harassment. I’m talking about loss, death, the full array of life. But it has to be by the right people so it’s not abused again.”
Tom and Nicole adopted Bella, now 25 and Connor, now 22, after suffering repeated miscarriages during their marriage. (Image: Getty)
The Hollywood power couple first met on the set of their 1990 movie Days of Thunder. There followed a whirlwind romance with Nicole becoming Tom’s second wife (he was first married to actress Mimi Rogers) the same year and going on to adopt two children, Bella, now 25 and Connor, now 22 after suffering the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages.
Fast forward almost 11 years and the pair split in a shock divorce with rumours abounding that the break-up was down to Cruise’s devotion to Scientology.
Tom went on to marry Katie Holmes in 2006 (they too divorced, with the marriage lasting only six years this time) while Nicole found happiness with Australian country singer star Keith Urban, whom she married 12 years ago.
Kidman’s second marriage appears to be a much happier affair than her first but it could have been a non-starter according to Nicole. For when the couple first met at the 2005 G’Day USA gala, which honours Australians in Los Angeles, Urban didn’t call her for four long months.
See the picture below, just minutes after the A-listers were first introduced.
“I had such a crush on him and he wasn’t interested in me. It’s true!” the actress revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “He didn’t call me for four months.”
Shocked, host Ellen asked the now 51-year-old to explain how such a dating faux pas could have possibly blossomed into one of Hollywood’s longest-lasting romances.
“How did we end up together?” Kidman joked before adding, “The craziest thing is to have a photo of when you first met. Someone just took that photo and sent it to us.”
The loved-up couple have welcomed two little girls since their wedding in 2006. (Image: Getty)
But as it turns out, the lucky-in-love duo have never actually addressed Keith’s months of silence.
“There’s certain things – and I think anyone in a marriage would agree with this – you just leave that,” says Kidman.
“We’re here now, and it’s all good. We don’t need to hash up all that stuff now, right?!” she finished, before later musing, “I think he was shy.”
Nicole and Keith are proud parents to Sunday, 10 and Faith, seven. (Image: Getty)
WATCH: Keith Urban on the moment he met Nicole!
