Nicole Kidman’s rare comment on ‘trepidatious’ approach to dating post-divorce

Nicole Kidman has been in multiple high-profile relationships, most notably her nearly 20 year marriage to Keith Urban. However, before her long-lasting relationship with the musician, she was married to Top Gun star Tom Cruise for just under 10 years, and has occasionally commented on the difficulties she faced following the split.

The actors tied the knot on Christmas Eve in 1990, expanding their family by adopting their daughter, Bella, two years later, and their son, Connor, in January 1995,. They later separated in December 2000, officially divorcing in August 2001.

In a rare comment about the fallout of their separation, the 58-year-old spoke to Harper’s Bazaar in 2021 about how the experience made her “a bit more trepidatious” in her approach to romance, but that she was nevertheless always “trying to be as open as possible”.

“I just prefer to live in the world that way,” she continued. “I’m wary at times, and I’ve been hurt, but at the same time I much prefer a warm approach rather than a prickly shutdown approach.”

Nicole’s six-word comment about Tom that went viral

In August 2001, six months after the initial announcement of their separation, Nicole made an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman to promote her film, The Others.

The host immediately asked her about the separation, saying: “I heard you’re getting divorced, how’s that going?” and suggested that she wouldn’t be on the show if “things were not alright”.

Nicole’s response prompted a strong response, as she replied: “I’d probably still be here. Well, I can wear heels now,” referring to Tom’s five-foot-seven stature and leading to an uproarious response from the audience.

Nicole Kidman’s second marriage

Though the actress dated a few people after her split from Tom, her next serious relationship wasn’t until she met Keith Urban in 2005, and they married the next year.

After a 19-year marriage and welcoming two children, Nicole filed for divorce citing “irreconcilable differences” in September 2025, following reports that they had been living apart since the beginning of the summer, with reports further exacerbated as they spent more time apart while Nicole was filming Practical Magic 2 and Keith was touring.  The pair eventually finalised their divorce on 6 January.

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Reports suggest that the court documents state: “All properties, trusts, and business assets remain separate,” meaning that the pair will both retain their individual assets, suggesting that there had been a prenuptial agreement made before filing.

Neither party will pay spousal support or alimony to the other. While their shared property portfolio is valued as high as $50 million, it is unclear who will keep each home; they both have homes in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville and Sydney, with their primary residence in Nashville.