Those Close To Keith Urban Reportedly Felt Like Separation From Nicole Kidman Was “Inevitable”

Since news of their separation broke yesterday, September 29, the internet has been in shock, feeling heartbroken that the couple who seemed to defy all odds in Hollywood are now facing divorce.

In light of this news, a clip of Urban giving a tearful speech to his wife from the 2024 AFI Life Achievement Award Gala, where Kidman was the honoree, has reemerged, breaking fans’ hearts even further.

Shortly after the two tied the knot in 2006, they faced challenges that often lead couples to divorce. Just four months into their marriage, Keith said his addictions, which he admittedly had done “nothing about” at that point, became too much to handle, and he found himself in rehab. Of course, he wasn’t sure how they would get through that:

“Blew our marriage to smithereens. I went into the Betty Ford Center for three months, four months into a marriage, I’m in rehab for three months. I had no idea what was going to happen to us. And if you want to see what love in action really looks like, give that a whirl.

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.”

He continued to gush about what a fantastic person Nicole is, and how much he loves being around her:

“That’s the thing about Nic. She loves, and she loves life. I’ve actually never met anyone who has such a passion for being alive. She’s got a bit of ready, fire, aim about her. Thank God, because it’s fun as hell to be around, because anything can happen at any moment.

She’s endlessly curious, she dives in headfirst and she follows with little to no thinking at all of the consequences. Perfect. It’s so pure in all the right ways, and she’s also preserved her inner little girl beautifully, admirably. Consequently, Nic’s not jaded, she’s not cynical, she’s definitely not complacent, and she’s not afraid to be afraid. I mean that professional and personally.”

He keeps going on about Nicole Kidman, raving about how she’s an incredible communicator with family and praising her for her hard work ethic, noting that when they first met, she made it very clear to him that she did not need a man to take care of her. Urban, then, acknowledged that while he knew she did not need someone to take care of her, he wanted to prove to her that she didn’t have to do everything on her own. He closed it by saying how “madly in love” he’s been with her for nearly two decades:

“She has a capacity to love like no one I’ve ever met, and I know tonight is all about her body of work so far, so far, baby. But next year will be 20 years that I’ve been madly in love with you. Congratulations, baby girl. I love you.”

Talk about a knife to the heart… It is heartbreaking to think a love that appeared so unbreakable from the outside still had its cracks, leading to their separation.

While I hope this does not mean they are getting divorced and somehow find a way back to each other, realistically, Urban and Kidman live hectic lives, and if it’s not meant to be, at least they had an incredible marriage that most people dream of.

The love they shared for each other was evident to the world, and it resulted in two beautiful daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14. That alone should be celebrated.