Keith Urban’s marriage to Nicole Kidman may have looked like one of Hollywood’s strongest unions, but cracks were showing long before their split.

On Tuesday, coinciding with the actress’s divorce filing after nearly two decades of marriage, journalist Ed Potton remembered how the singer’s friendly demeanor changed when his estranged wife’s name was mentioned during an interview in Nashville last year.

‘I just don’t want to give you guys a headline about my wife,’ Urban told him. 

In retrospect, Potton explained in a new article for The Times, that the signs of marital tension ‘were there, flashing in neon.’

He also described how the star became guarded and, at times, openly snippy when pressed about Kidman.

This reaction was a stark contrast to his past comments about her, where he acknowledged her role in a life-saving intervention just a few months following their 2006 wedding.

Keith Urban’s marriage to Nicole Kidman may have looked like one of Hollywood’s strongest unions, but cracks were showing long before their split

He even immortalized the moment in his 2009 song Thank You. 

However, when the topic arose during their discussion, Urban was noticeably uncomfortable, stating, ‘Suddenly the interview becomes “My wife saved my life,” and that’s not where I want to go with this.’

Potton observed that Urban never completely lost his cool, but his tone suggested deep frustration.

At one point, after being asked if he was proud of Kidman’s career resurgence in TV, Urban shut the door firmly.

‘We’ve had a fantastic discussion about my career and music, and I appreciate that. But to end this conversation, you’re attempting to bring my wife into it again. I’m not going to discuss her,’ he firmly replied.

That kind of defensiveness seemed telling.

Potton noted that for years, British journalists observed a pattern in Urban’s interviews: he would discuss a project while occasionally sharing insights about Kidman.

Yet, recently, Urban seemed to resent this exchange and became increasingly aware that his wife’s worldwide fame often eclipsed his own.

Journalist Ed Potton, who sat down with Urban in Nashville last year, recalled how the singer’s easy charm evaporated the moment his estranged wife’s name came up; seen last year

In retrospect, Potton explained in a new article for The Times , that the signs of marital tension ‘were there, flashing in neon’ (seen in May 2025)

And while Urban had already enjoyed country music acclaim before he met Kidman, his career undeniably reached new heights after they married, including four Grammy Awards and seven consecutive top ten albums. 

Still, Potton pointed out ‘had he not been married to one of the most recognizable women in the world, we wouldn’t have done the interview.’

‘Urban knew this, I suspect, and it must have stung,’ the journalist acknowledged. 

Ultimately, Potton concluded that Urban came across as a ‘decent bloke living in a strange world’ — one in which his identity was often tied to a wife who eclipsed him professionally. 

In response to Potton’s remarks, social media users claimed Urban’s behavior during the interview ‘shows she deserves better than him’ and ‘isn’t afraid of her greatness.’

Some, however, argued the journalist did not respect Urban’s ‘boundary’ and that his ‘snippiness’ may have been a result of overstepping his limits. 

Over the past few years, however, Urban seems to have grown more and more self conscious that his wife’s global fame often overshadowed his own; pictured in January 2025

Kidman filed for divorce this week, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ – as a source claimed to the Daily Mail that Urban has already moved on with a younger woman in the music industry. 

The well-placed Nashville music business PR source said: ‘The rumor is that he’s with a younger woman in the business. It’s all everyone is talking about. Everyone wants to know who, but so far, that’s a mystery.’ 

The former couple share daughters Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14. 

Kidman was previously married to Tom Cruise, 63, for 11 years from 1990 to 2001. They adopted two children together: Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30. 

At this time, Urban who is renting his own home in Music City, is allegedly showing no signs of wanting to reconcile.

Those in Kidman’s circle say that merely the suggestion of him with someone else after their separation has been difficult for her to process.

Kidman filed for divorce this week, citing ‘irreconcilable differences'(seen in 2023)

The Australian actress and Urban were last seen together publicly in June this year, when they were pictured attending a FIFA World Cup match in Nashville, Tennessee.

The country star has been away for much of the year on his High and Alive World Tour. He is due to perform in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Thursday.

Kidman and the children, meanwhile, have remained in Nashville, where the couple own a $4million compound.

In July, Urban dropped a hint that all was not well between the pair when he dramatically hung up during a phone interview with a radio station after a crude question about Kidman’s raunchy recent scenes, such as in her movies Babygirl and A Family Affair. 

For her part, and while promoting her Netflix series The Perfect Couple back in September last year, Kidman admitted there was no such thing as a ‘perfect’ marriage.

‘There’s no perfect anything,’ she said, ‘anything that’s presented as perfect… forget it.’

Last year, Kidman said she was ‘so lucky’ to have met the singer.

‘I’m so lucky that I have Keith who’s just my love, my deep, deep love,’ she told People.

‘I’m so lucky that I have Keith… that gives me the ability to go and do whatever I have to do because I know where I can come back,’ she added.