Getty
Dressed in a white frock with lace detailing, a white ribbon tied in her hair, Sunday Rose sat contentedly in the arms of her mother, Nicole Kidman.
The image was a throwback – a snap of Sunday as a baby, shared by Nicole on Instagram on July 7 to celebrate a milestone moment: her eldest daughter’s 18th birthday.
The young model may now be an adult, but as Nicole told her “angel”, “You couldn’t be more loved”, Sunday’s father Keith Urban harked back to a childhood nickname as he shared his own message.
“Happy birthday Munchkin, love you,” he told his daughter on Instagram Stories, sharing a snap of Sunday strutting her stuff on the catwalk, and signing off his message, “Dad xxxx”.
Now, insiders tell Woman’s Day that Sunday is viewing her coming of age as a transition phase – and it could even see her drop her surname entirely in a bid to follow her own path in the wake of her parents’ marriage split.
“Her goal is to carve out her own identity separate from her parents, and she would absolutely love to be able to drop her last name and simply go by Sunday Rose,” the source explains.
“It’s not that she isn’t proud to be her parents’ daughter, this is about wanting to make an impression on her own merit rather than people always linking her to Nicole and Keith.”
The insider claims Sunday sees celebrities like Zendaya – who has successfully marketed an identity with one moniker only – as proof that her dreams are possible.
“Sure, Zendaya is a superstar now, but that wasn’t always the case, and she was still able to get away without using her last name, so Sunday Rose doesn’t see why she can’t do the same,” the insider adds.
“Now that she’s 18 and setting up her future, Sunday Rose is looking at all aspects of how she wants to shape her career.”
There’s no doubt Sunday – who made her runway debut for Miu Miu in 2024 – has huge ambitions. She is already represented by two prominent modelling agencies and has landed covers for magazines including Elle Australia and WWD.
“She wants to act and she would love to direct one day, too and Nicole and Keith both support that 110 per cent,” the insider adds.
But while the young star has career progression firmly in her sights, there are claims that family dynamics are still proving a sore point behind the scenes.
In March, when Sunday sat down with Elle Australia for her cover story interview, she made a pointed statement about her father without ever saying his name.
Crediting her mother for sparking her interest in modelling, the youngster described Nicole as her “biggest inspiration” in life.
“She is a key part of everything I do,” Sunday explained.
Tellingly, she didn’t mention her father – who split with Nicole after 19 years of marriage in September 2025 – once, a snub that is said to have left Keith feeling “numb”.
Now, a source sees Keith’s very public birthday post to his daughter as an olive branch of sorts.
“Of course, as everyone knows, Keith is still struggling to get back in Sunday’s good books after the divorce. Both the girls are so protective of their mum, they blamed Keith for the divorce and it’s been an uphill battle for him to overcome that,” the insider explains.
“But he’s trying his best, no doubt that’s why he chose to post one of her modelling shots to his [Instagram] page in honour of her birthday.
“He knows how proud she is to finally be modelling and he’s doing everything he can to score points with her.”
Share this post