Duration: Married 10 years
Ages: 39 and 34
Previous pairings: Cruise dated Rebecca DeMornay and was married to Mimi Rogers for 2½
years. Kidman dated Australian actor Marcus Graham.
Love story: Cruise was looking for a co-star in Days of Thunder (1990) when he happened upon the striking Aussie redhead’s earlier performance in Dead Calm. She was a little hesitant at first, but once Cruise zeroed in his target, Kidman was no mission: impossible. They married in Colorado on New Year’s Eve 1990, and soon adopted two children, 8-year-old Isabella Jane and 6-year-old Connor Anthony.
What went wrong? Probably the most openly affectionate couple in Hollywood, the superstar household went from exchanging gushing words at the 2000 Golden Globes to leaving separately at the same awards exactly a year later. After their separation was announced, Cruise surprised everyone–Kidman included–by filing for divorce on Feb. 7, 2001. Officially their “careers kept them apart,” but cryptic clues continue to surface: the report that they renewed their vows in a tearful ceremony for their 10th anniversary last December; Cruise’s (who signed no prenuptial agreement) claim they separated in December at 9 years and 11 months (marriages under a decade are viewed differently when the estate is divided); Cruise’s statement that “Nicole knows exactly why” they are divorcing, sparking infidelity rumors. Then Kidman suffered a miscarriage in April, which meant she and Cruise (tests proved) had conceived a child in January. Rumored reasons for the split ranged from disagreement about where to live to their religion. Then, according to divorce papers, Kidman begged Cruise to stay and go to marriage counseling, but he said his decision was final. Are you as baffled as we are?
Post-split romance: After rumors linked Cruise to Vanilla Sky co-star Penelope Cruz, the pair made it official after they vacationed together in Fiji. Kidman reportedly was stunned by the announcement and told a friend Cruise swore to her nothing was going on between them.
What they’ve said: Nine years after making the statement, “Officially, we will be on our honeymoon the rest of our lives,” Kidman finds herself in coping mode. “I haven’t given up hope that somewhere out there somebody is waiting for me and I can fall in love again,” she reportedly told a German magazine. As for Cruise, he’s keeping mum.
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