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It was what Nicole Kidman didn’t say on Mother’s Day that sparked a furore on social media.
Sharing an image of herself with her daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, the Big Little Lies star dedicated a post to them, writing, “To my beautiful girls, the greatest joy is being your mother. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in the world.”
It was a poignant sentiment – one that resonated with many of the star’s 11 million Instagram followers. But there were dissenters too.
“I thought you had four kids. This is so weird,” one commenter wrote. “What about your adopted kids?” another added.
Of course, Nicole shares two adopted children – Bella, 33, and Connor, 31 – with her ex-husband Tom Cruise and their relationship had long-attracted public attention.
When Nicole and Tom divorced after a decade of marriage in 2001, Bella and Connor chose to live with Tom in LA.
They were raised as Scientologists, with Nicole touching on the decision in a later interview with WHO.
“They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them,” she told the publication.
“And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe – that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here.”
As Nicole went on to welcome two girls – Sunday, 17, and Faith, 15, with country star Keith Urban, there was speculation that her relationship with her older children had become more strained.
Nicole has not been publicly photographed with Connor and Bella for more than 15 years, but in a 2015 interview the star said they texted to stay in touch.
Now, after Nicole’s Mother’s Day post caught the attention of her fanbase, an insider tells Woman’s Day about what’s going on behind the scenes.
“Nicole’s going through a rigid ‘culling’ period where she’s moving forward,” the source said, adding that “something’s switched” in the star since her split from Keith.
“Her trust issues have definitely been rattled and she’s only bringing people along her next phase in life who have a proven track record of loyalty,” the source continued, claiming that her relationship with Bella and Connor has “shifted” as a result.
While Bella and Connor both live relatively quiet lives, more recently Bella, an artist, has appeared to maintain a connection with her mum by changing her name professionally from Bella Cruise to Bella Kidman Cruise.
“She also remains supportive of Sunday and Faith,” the source explains.
But insiders point to the fact that Sunday and Faith grew up “knowing to be very wary of all things Scientology” and as a result they are “polite but cautious” when it comes to forging a deeper relationship with their adoptive sister.
“Bella remains very much in the Church. She still loves art and fashion with a passion, while Connor is living the fishing and barbecue dream in Florida. Both of them don’t like the public limelight and prefer to lead very private lives,” the source continues.
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