Why did Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman divorce? Split explored as Mission Impossible star makes rare comment about actress

Tom Cruise met Nicole Kidman in 1989, while shooting for Days of Thunder. The couple tied the knot in December 1990 and, according to Wikipedia, the stars adopted two children.

After 11 years of marriage, Cruise and Kidman announced their separation, followed by the Mission: Impossible actor filing for divorce. As per an E! Online report, they divorced in February 2001, citing as reason:

"Difficulties inherent of diverging careers which constantly keep them apart"

Although they have commented on their marriage sparingly following the separation, Tom Cruise reflected on his ex-wife and complimented her in a recent interview. Per Deadline, the action star opened up about Kidman in a conversation with the British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound magazine.

Recounting how he recommended Kidman to be cast in Eyes Wide Shut, to the film's director Stanley Kubrick, he said:

"It was basically he [Kubrick] and I getting to know each other,” Cruise said, adding: “And when we were doing that, I suggested Nicole play the role [of Alice]. Because obviously she’s a great actress."

One of the last discussions Tom Cruise had about Nicole Kidman was in a 2002 interview with Vanity Fair. In response to the interviewer asking him about their split, The Color of Money actor answered:

"She knows why, and I know why. She’s the mother of my children, and I wish her well. And I think that you just move on. And I don’t say that lightly. I don’t say that with anything."

He further stated:

"Things happen in life, and you do everything you can, and in every possible way, and there’s a point at which you just sometimes have to face the brutal reality."

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's divorce explored

Meeting for the first time

While Cruise and Kidman's romance started as a fairytale, it ended over a decade later, leading to painful experiences.

The Moulin Rouge! actress was smitten by Cruise on their first meeting. Per Hello! magazine, in a 2016 conversation with The Jess Cagle Show, she revealed:

"I remember being so nervous and seeing Tom Cruise drive up in a Porsche. He got out of the car and walked through the door, and I was like, 'Ah.' My jaw dropped."

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman tie the knot

On December 24, 1990, the celebrity couple celebrated their wedding in a private ceremony. According to HELLO! magazine, they tied the knot in the presence of their families.

They embrace parenthood a couple of years later

Kidman and Cruise's fertility concerns were discussed a lot, especially after Vanity Fair reported the news of the couple losing a baby. However, Kidman reflected clarified later on the incident, saying:

"So it's huge news, and it didn't happen. I had a miscarriage at the end of my marriage, but I had an ectopic pregnancy at the beginning of my marriage. It was incredibly traumatic for me."

Later, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman adopted two kids: Isabella and Connor. Recalling his experience of being a father, Cruise told Vanity Fair:

"I was scared to death. Scared to death."

He also admitted that he knew nothing about changing diapers.

The widely-publicized divorce

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's divorce was talk of the town for a long time. While the Top Gun: Maverick star cited irreconcilable differences for their divorce, his ex-wife reflected on her marriage and separation in later interviews.

Per Hello!, in a 2006 interview with Ladies' Home Journal, Kidman shared:

"He was huge; still is. To me, he was just Tom, but to everybody else, he is huge. But he was lovely to me. And I loved him. I still love him."

The split affected the Cold Mountain actress's personal life. While her career flourished, she faced difficulties in her private life. According to People, she told Dave Karger in the book, 50 Oscar Nights:

"I was struggling with things in my personal life, yet my professional life was going so well. That's what happens, right?"

Despite winning an Oscar and receiving worldwide acclaim, Kidman was struggling to hold her personal life together. She continued:

"I'm not a big party girl, so I was going to skip the Vanity Fair party and everyone was like, 'You've got to go. You've got to walk through the party carrying your Academy Award. I said, ‘That just feels like gloating, and it doesn't feel humble.' Like, what? You can't walk through carrying the award! That feels really inappropriate. They're like, 'That's what you do.'"

Amid the rush and buzz, she lifted her award and walked around. She would later reveal:

"I literally walked in, carried it around, was completely overwhelmed, emotional, shaking, and I didn't enjoy it. I was almost apologetic, which is so stupid. I wish I could have enjoyed it more."

Years after the divorce, the couple moved on and found love again. On June 25, 2006, Nicole Kidman married Keith Urban. They welcomed two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret.

A few months after Kidman's wedding, Tom Cruise tied the knot with Katie Holmes on November 18, 2006. They had a daughter, Suri Cruise, in 2006. However, they announced their separation in 2012.