Not long ago, he was on top of the world, newly married to movie star Nicole Kidman. Now, singer Keith Urban is locked up in rehab and everyone wants to know why. J Randy Taraborrelli investigates.
The scene unfolds in West Hollywood, California. A woman parks her Mercedes in front of a gym, gets out and walks with purpose into the building. Her hair is pulled severely into a baseball cap, she’s wearing large, dark sunglasses and a nondescript blue jogging outfit. At first, no one pays much attention to her.
She could be … anybody. Yet she does have a familiar face. Indeed, she is famous — an actress so celebrated, in fact, that she commands more than $20 million a movie.
I approach her. “Nicole, how have you been?” I ask. She freezes; I can see her wheels turning. Perhaps recognising me as someone who has interviewed her in the past, she fixes me with a grim expression as if in anticipation of a tough question. “Look, I’m just trying to have a nice and quiet day,” she says, her tone frosty. “I’m trying to stay … positive.”
Up close, her face seems drawn, tired. I look, notice she’s not wearing her wedding ring. “Well, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about Keith,” I tell her, referring to her husband’s recent, well-publicised problems. “I hope you two are okay.” She seems relieved. “Oh, thank you. We are fine,” she says. “I appreciate your discretion, really I do.” She smiles, once again her usual, friendly self. “So, do stay positive,” I tell her. “Oh, you know I will,” she responds. She turns and rushes off. “Bye, now.”
She then walks into the gym and greets her trainer with an embrace. For the next hour or so, she works out, as word quickly spreads: Nicole Kidman is in the building.
If only Nicole’s personal challenges could be worked out as easily. Indeed, these have been tough days. Just a week earlier, on October 20, her spouse of four months, country star Keith Urban, 39, announced that he had entered a rehabilitation facility for treatment of alcohol abuse. “I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones that love and support me,” he said in a statement. “One can never let one’s guard down on recovery and I’m afraid I have.”
To read more about Keith Urban’s latest battle with alcoholism and how it’s affecting his relationship with his wife, Nicole Kidman, pick up the December issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
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