Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban may seem like they have the perfect marriage, but behind the scenes, they’ve faced their share of challenges.
One of the toughest moments came when Keith Urban had to check into rehab, testing their relationship in ways few could imagine.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have been married since 2006 and share two beautiful daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret. Their love story is often hailed as one of Hollywood’s sweetest, with the couple frequently seen looking deeply in love at events and speaking highly of each other in interviews.
Interestingly, despite both being born in Australia, their paths never crossed until they met at a gala in Los Angeles. Sparks flew, and they exchanged numbers —though Keith Urban didn’t call Nicole right away.
”I had such a crush on him and he wasn’t interested in me. It’s true!” Kidman told host Ellen DeGeneres in 2017.
Eventually, the pair did start dating, and as they spent more time together in New York, Nicole Kidman realized that Keith Urban was the man she wanted to marry and start a family with. It was during one particularly memorable moment that the actress realized she had met the love of her life.
For her 38th birthday, Urban surprised her at dawn, standing on her apartment steps at 5 a.m. with a bouquet of gardenias in hand.
”That is when I went, ‘This is the man I hope I get to marry,’” she told People in 2019 and added: ”I believed by that point he was the love of my life.”
The couple tied the knot during a romantic ceremony at Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel, on the grounds of St Patrick’s Estate, Manly, in Sydney.
Their wedding was straight out of a fairy tale, a lavish affair that left everyone in awe. As a special token of appreciation, each guest received a silver Tiffany desk clock engraved with ”A Moment in Time, June 25, 2006, Nicole & Keith.” After the magical ceremony, the newlyweds jetted off to the French Polynesia for a dream honeymoon. But was their relationship really as perfect as it seemed?
Keith Urban substance abuse
Looking back at Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s whirlwind romance, it’s clear that everything happened in the blink of an eye. They met, fell in love, and tied the knot all within a year. But just four months after their fairytale wedding in Sydney, they faced a huge blow that would turn their world upside down.
”We got married in June 2006, and barely four months into our marriage, my addictions [to alcohol and cocaine] blew our marriage to smithereens,” Keith, 56, said at a public event earlier this year.
The New Zealand-born Australian country musician had struggled with his issues for years, but it was only after marrying Nicole Kidman that he realized the full extent of his serious problems.
It all began when Keith moved to Nashville in the 1990s and made his mark as an artist. In those early years, he relied heavily on alcohol and cocaine to cope with the pressures of his burgeoning career. In a striking confession from his book Fake News, Vernon Rust, Keith Urban’s former songwriting partner, shared that they once embarked on a lavish spree, consuming a jaw-dropping $320,000 worth of cocaine during an epic binge in the late 1990s.
Keith also experimented with smoking freebase cocaine —a purer form of crack cocaine — in the 1990s after a roommate introduced him to it. The star musician attempted to overcome his addiction several times, but found himself unable to resist returning to alcohol.
”My dad was an alcoholic, so I grew up in an alcoholic house and it took me a long time to believe I was wired the same,” he told The Times.
Being a country star and abstaining from alcohol is no easy feat. The entertainment industry is rife with temptations, and alcohol has long been an integral part of concerts and after-parties. The constant exposure to these indulgences made it incredibly challenging for Keith to stay on the path of sobriety.
”I don’t talk a lot about it because I love my audience being able to just come and have a great time. I’ve nothing against drugs or alcohol. Everyone does what they want to do to have a great time,” he said and continued:
”I just realized I’m allergic to it. Someone said, ‘You have an allergy? What happens when you drink?’ And I said, ‘I break out in cuffs.’”
The intervention
No matter how much Keith wanted to overcome his addiction, it was clear that he struggled to succeed. Whether his problems intensified during his marriage to Nicole Kidman remains uncertain, but what is clear is that Nicole eventually had to staged an intervention for her husband.
”I caused the implosion of my fresh marriage,” Keith said, referring to himself as a ”real binge drinker.”
”She (Nicole) really should’ve just walked. I’m just so glad she didn’t, and she made a decision to turn around and initiate ultimately this intervention,” Keith told Oprah Winfrey.
In October 2006, the Grammy-winning singer entered a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse. Four months into their marriage, Keith found himself in huge crisis. He had no idea what the future held for him and Nicole.
”I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones that love and support me,” Keith said in a statement.
But Nicole Kidman, 57, never abandon her husband when he needed her the most.
”Nicole stood by Keith during a very dark time in his life. What he did – asking for help – was courageous and brave, and she saw that,” a source told In Touch.
At the same time, Nicole faced her own challenges. Fresh from a tumultuous divorce from Tom Cruise, where the aftermath had been far from peaceful, she now found herself in a new relationship where she once again had to navigate her husband’s struggles.
According to Nicole Kidman, she and Keith was in ”a very, very, very bad, painful place,” and it was uncertain whether they would be able to salvage their relationship. Reflecting on the early months of their marriage, Kidman told Vanity Fair:
”I’m more than willing to walk it with him. The two of us are very committed to our relationship. But it was painful, deeply painful.”
After 90 days at the clinic, Keith finally received the tools he needed to manage his addiction. But none of it would have been possible without Nicole’s unwavering support. After Urban completed rehab, the A-list couple whisked away on a romantic getaway to St. Barts.
”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,” Keith says.
Staying sober
After his time at the California rehab center, Keith Urban hit the road once more, embarking on a tour that marked the turning point in his life.
He successfully broke free from the negative spiral and has remained sober ever since — a truly heartening development.
”I was able to finally make the right choice in my life, that I wish my dad (Robert Urban, who died in 2015) would have made,” he said.
With Nicole, he welcomed two children, and their initial turbulent period only served to strengthen their bond. Just this past April, Nicole Kidman publicly reaffirmed her enduring love for Keith.
”I’m so lucky that I have Keith who’s just my love, my deep, deep love,” she told People.
Today, the father-of-two, offers valuable advice to those grappling with addiction and the journey to sobriety. The most crucial lesson Keith learned was the importance of reaching out for help, and this is the key piece of advice he passes on to anyone facing similar struggles.
”Everyone get overwhelmed at points, but it’s when you think you can handle it yourself and you don’t reach out for help. That’s when the ends is near,” Keith Urban told Best Life.
Being a father to two daughters is also powerful motivation for Keith Urban to stay on the path of sobriety. His commitment to his family and the desire to be a positive role model for his girls drive him to remain focused and dedicated to his recovery.
”I still don’t know if I’m getting it right. … I have made so many mistakes, but you have to work out what works for you. My message to them is always to do whatever they are passionate about, I don’t care, as long as they work hard to achieve it,” he told The Sun in 2022.
With his marriage to Nicole Kidman, his role as a father, and his ongoing sobriety, Keith Urban continues to inspire others facing similar battles!
His story reminds us that even in the darkest times, there is hope, and with support and determination, a brighter future is always within reach.
