Before Nicole Kidman was blissfully married to country music star Keith Urban, forging one of our favourite celebrity couples, the Australian actress was wed to actor Tom Cruise.
A Hollywood “it couple” of the 90s, fans were shocked when the pair revealed they were separating in 2001 after 12 years of marriage and adopting two children, Isabelle and Connor.
The split came just two years after the couple starred in erotic thriller Eyes Wide Shut together, where they played a husband and wife grappling with infidelity.
Now in an interview with The New York Times, Nicole has made a rare comment about her relationship to Tom, revealing they were “happily married” at the time of filming.
“We were happily married through that,” she said.
“We would go go-kart racing after those scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at 3 in the morning.”
Nicole and Tom were married for 12 years.
(Getty)Despite the intense nature of the film, Nicole admitted she doesn’t believe having to play such negative and raw emotion contributed to her split with Tom.
“I don’t know what else to say. Maybe I don’t have the ability to look back and dissect it. Or I’m not willing to.”
Filming spanned two years, despite the crew believing it would take just a fraction of that, but the happy couple made the most of the time.
“We had two kids and were living in a trailer on the lot primarily, making spaghetti because Stanley [Kubrik, the Director] liked to eat with us sometimes.
“We were working with the greatest filmmaker and learning about our lives and enjoying our lives on set. We would say, ‘When is it going to end?’ We went over there thinking it was going to be three months. It turned into a year, a year and a half.”
Despite playing a troubled couple, Nicole denies filming played a role in their split.
(Getty)Speaking to Dujour magazine in 2012, Nicole revealed she’d been “blindsided” by Tom’s decision to leave.
“I thought our life together was perfect. It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system.
“We were in a bubble, just the two of us. We became very dependent on one another. I was reeling with Tom. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him.
Nicole’s former personal assistant Gemma Fordham recently revealed to the Daily Telegraph what it was like working with the actress through her divorce.
“[Nicole] had Americans in the [personal assistant] role previously and, given she was in the midst of separating from Tom [Cruise], she wanted someone who had an Aussie sense of humour,” Gemma said.
Nicole is happy as ever with Keith.
(Getty)During the seven-month long divorce process, Gemma became a close confidant for Nicole, forming a bond so tight knit Gemma eventually became godmother to Nicole and Keith’s daughter Sunday Rose in 2008.
Gemma finished her role as Nicole’s PA in 2006 after she married Keith, revealing: “The only reason I left was because Nic had come full circle. She had four children, was married again, in a beautiful relationship and deeply happy. She didn’t need me anymore.”
