Two simple words. That’s all it took. When Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s daughter Sunday Rose sat down for a recent interview, she made a pointed statement about her dad without ever saying his name.
Crediting her mum for sparking her interest in modelling, she described Nicole as the “biggest inspiration” in her life. Tellingly, Sunday didn’t mention her father, who split from Nicole, 58, after 19 years
of marriage in September 2025. It’s a snub that’s said to have left Keith, also 58, feeling “numb”.
Insiders claim the strained situation between Keith and his daughters runs far deeper than just one interview. Sunday, 17, and Faith, 15, have been at the centre of growing tensions for some time.
A growing distance between father and daughters
“The kids have essentially cut off contact with Keith,” one well-placed source claims.
“This isn’t just about a quote. It’s been building for a while.”
While the insider says Keith – who has not been seen publicly with Sunday or Faith since his marriage split – was “putting on a brave face”, he is said to privately feel “like he’s lost his daughters”.
The source adds, “Seeing it in black and white like that really hurt. He feels erased. There’s a real distance and Keith doesn’t know how to fix it.”
The Kiwi-born country crooner is reportedly in mourning over the loss of his relationship with the girls, and is throwing himself into his music and touring to keep busy. Last month, Keith was seen jetting out of the UK with Shayla McGhee, an attractive PA who works in the Nashville music scene. While speculation swirls that their relationship is more than professional, sources say the star is struggling. He’s unsure how to move forward with his personal life without risking losing his girls for good.
Frozen in fear and loneliness
“He would love nothing more than to return to the public eye with a new lady on his arm, but he’s frozen,” a friend reports.
“He’s been confiding in Shayla, who’s no stranger to musicians and their dark sides, but the truth is he’s terrified about getting serious. “Any woman he’s with is going to be front page in the media and will further alienate him from his kids, so it’s a nightmare. “He knows how hard it is for them to see him linked to a new woman every second week. Most of it’s untrue, but it’s not like he can discuss it over breakfast with them, is it? “Keith’s in a dark place. He’s lonely, keeping everyone at arm’s length and there’s a hardening of his heart that we’ll probably see expressed in his next album.”
Making matters worse, Keith is silenced by a divorce NDA, so he can’t defend himself publicly – even against rumours he wasn’t faithful to Nicole, which he believes have turned his daughters against him.
Fearing he’s lost them forever
“Privately, he insists he hasn’t strayed and thinks this is some kind of overreaction from Nicole, after losing her older kids Bella and Connor [Cruise] in her first divorce,” claims his pal.
“Now he has to watch on as she parades their daughters at every high-profile showbiz event and gushes about Sunday being her date to the Met Gala next month.”
According to our insider, it was the loss of Nicole’s mum that changed everything.
“Things were never the same after that. They ran completely separate lives. She threw herself into work. He suspects the girls think he abandoned her, while to him, it felt like the opposite. “He does feel unfairly treated and he’s terrified he’s lost his girls forever. They’re now old enough to start making their own way in the world. He’s not sleeping as he feels frozen out and left behind. “He’s taking each day as it comes, but he’ll never stop hoping to be reunited with Sunday and Faith. Music is the only thing that’s holding him together.”
