Tom Cruise has reportedly told friends he feels “vindicated” after Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban announced their separation, 24 years after the Mission: Impossible star himself split from the Aussie actress.
According to those close to the actor, Tom reportedly feels like history is repeating itself as the breakdown of Nicole’s second marriage continues to dominate headlines.
“When Tom and Nicole split, he caught all the blame and she got all the sympathy. He was painted as the bad guy, and that stuck with him for years. Now that things have flipped, he sees it as karma coming back around. He’s not bragging about it, but he definitely sees the irony,” a source told OK Magazine.
Although Tom and Nicole have not spoken since their 2001 divorce, sources say the actor has privately spoken to those close to him, expressing that he believes Nicole will now understand what it feels like to have others speculate about the end of a relationship.
“Tom was really stung by the way Nicole handled their breakup,” a friend of the actor told the publication. “She went on TV, made digs about his height, and painted herself as the victim while he stayed silent and took the hits. Watching her face a public split now – especially with all the talk about Keith – he feels like people are finally seeing things from a different angle.”
Nicole and Tom, who were married for eleven years and adopted two children, split in 2001. While Tom largely avoided publicly speaking about the separation, Nicole admitted she was “shocked” by the breakup.
“I thought our life together was perfect,” she said in 2012. “It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system… I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him. I was totally smitten – I fell madly, passionately in love.”
Still, sources say Tom still harbours mixed feelings about Nicole as she navigates her divorce.
“Tom’s not gloating about it,” another source close to him told the publication. “He genuinely sympathizes with Nicole because he knows how painful it is to have everyone dissect your private life. Still, there’s a part of him that feels vindicated. He’s always believed Keith was more of a rebound than the real thing.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
