Nicole Kidman is splashing out a small fortune each month to live in a stately home in London, but husband Keith Urban’s absence has placed a question mark around the pair’s 19-year marriage.
“They do make a big effort to speak every day when they’re apart, but it’s quite shocking how much time they’ve spent apart since Nic’s mother died [last] September,” an insider says.
“It’s like they both went their separate ways and now she’s getting comfortable in a dream home in London on the other side of the world.”
The actress, 58, is currently filming the Practical Magic sequel in the UK, and apparently had her sights set on staying at the Hampstead mansion owned by popstar Boy George.
In an eerie coincidence befitting the movie’s haunting theme, a young American musician who was working with the Culture Club singer in 1986 was found dead from an overdose in the living room.
While its dark history didn’t put Nicole off the five-bedroom, five-bathroom home, it’s looking unlikely that Keith, 57, will be able to join her there any time soon.
And while Keith won’t be there, Nicole will have a few A-list neighbours to keep her company in between shooting such as Harry Styles, Jude Law and Helena Bonham Carter and Judi Dench all calling Hampstead home.
The country star’s High And Alive tour will keep him on the road through Canada and the US until mid-October, and insiders say the long periods apart have become the couple’s new normal.
“No one knows how long they can put up with this situation as they’ve always been diligent about not spending more than two weeks apart,” the source says.
“Clearly that’s not the case any more as Keith’s gone from her rock who she can’t sleep without to a brief task on her phone.”
