Nicole Kidman says husband Keith Urban made her feel ‘protected’ after her marriage to Tom Cruise

It’s been 15 years since Nicole Kidman first met her husband Keith Urban. 

And the actress, 53, has candidly reflected on the early days of their relationship, describing her country singer spouse, 52, as a ‘protector’.   

Nicole, whose marriage to Tom Cruise ended in 2011, told Marie Claire magazine this week: ‘[Keith] just came along, and protected me. He’s loved me given me confidence, and made me so much more comfortable’.’ 

‘He knows who I am and he’s opened me up,’ she said, adding that she identifies as an introvert, while Keith is an extrovert. 

Nicole and Keith met in 2005 at the G’Day LA Gala, and were married just a year later during a star-studded ceremony in Manly, Sydney. 

Nicole, who shares daughters Sunday Rose, 11, and Faith Margaret, nine, with Keith, previously revealed that verbal communication was the secret behind her problem-free marriage.  

In an interview with Parade, the flame-haired star explained: ‘We’ve never texted. That is so not our relationship, which is interesting right?’   

She continued: ‘We call. We’ve done this since the very beginning. The reason it started at the beginning was because I didn’t know how to text and it just kind of worked for us, so now we don’t. 

While Nicole often speaks publicly about her strong marriage to Keith, the Eyes Wide Shut star often avoids discussing the 11 years she was wed to Scientologist Tom.  

In a rare interview in 2018, Nicole revealed to NY Magazine that her marriage to Tom gave her ‘protection’ from sexual harassment.  

The actress, who was 22 when she wed the A-lister, said: ‘I got married very young, but it definitely wasn’t power for me – it was protection.’ 

‘I married for love, but being married to an extremely powerful man kept me from being sexually harassed. I would work, but I was still very much cocooned.’

Nicole and Tom share  two adopted children, Isabella, 27, and Connor, 25.